Wearing: A Twinkling Dog Trot

Do you have a color combo you always return to?

This is mine--pinks, browns, creams and grays--the colors that evoke a special feeling inside me.

When I think back to the experiences I've had and the places I've visited,

I usually associate these colors with my favorite memories.

The deep pink light of a brilliant sunset falling across the Grand Canyon.

Orange arches at Bryce National Park.

A delicately scrolled conch shell in the Cayman Islands.

The pastel-toned buildings of a busy street in Mexico.

The coral colored sand on Prince Edward Island in Canada.

The gray sky of the Ukrainian countryside.

That perfect neutral color of a wedding dress in a Paris shop window.

The warm invitation of a cup of hot chocolate in my own kitchen.

(Anthropologie In A Twinkling dress, Dog Trot cardi and Lost Glasses tights, J.Crew patent belt, MIA Trainee Booties)

If there are two versions of the same piece,

I always go for the brown or pink-toned version.

Not really sure why.

I should probably branch out a bit, but maybe these are just the colors that suit me--

the ones I feel prettiest in.

If I split my closet into colors, 90% of it would fall into this category.

So, is anyone else's closet as unbalanced as mine?

Wearing: LOFT Military Sweater

It's been one of those days.

Not the bad kind...the very good kind.

I gained some serious mileage on one of my projects, my four-year-old told me I was awesome,

and we had a smattering of sunshine for the first time in days.

Oh, and I managed not to burn this barn down...a definite upside to the day.

All that, plus I got a crazy awesome new header designed for me by

an artist friend who will very likely blow things up when he hits the professional scene.

So, you can see how a ho-hum day went from good to better to the best!

Don't forget to vote in the sidebar for the dress you want to see recreated (if you haven't already).

Photos courtesy of LookNook

(LOFT sweater, Anthropologie Steadfast and Whimsy skirt, MIA cadet booties, UO gloves)

Same outfit, different day (I do that occassionaly, you know)...wear something more than once. I also wore this here...hehehe...but I wasn't gonna bore you with the EXACT same outfit in another post, so I threw them in here.

Wearing: 1970's Autumn Leaves

On this, the first day of Twenty-Eleven, I decided to go back...40 years back.

I'm wearing a vintage dress from the 1970's that I bought from Emily at her amazing Etsy store, El Vintage.

My mother can hardly handle this...the polyester, I mean.

Of course, she did live in it for an entire decade, so I guess I sorta get the nauseous look that comes over her face at the mere mention of polyester. I have to concede that if I had nothing but double knit to wear, I'd probably tire of it, too...but I have lots of options, so I really don't mind it now and again...and actually, I've worn this dress three times since I bought it last month.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a little bit flighty.

Actually I'm a lot bit flighty, but anyways...

Instead of making a New Year's Resolution this year,

I decided to focus on one word that could improve every area of my life.

My goal for 2011 is to be PRESENT...

as in focused, tuned-in to what's going on in the moment, mentally available in conversations and activities.

Creativity is great, but if my head's always in the clouds when I'm playing with my children or talking to the husbie, then I'm not really engaged, now am I? It would be a real shame to stay at home with my children and realize years from now that I was only really present in body, but not in mind and heart.

I want to put all my energy and focus into what I'm doing in the moment:

whether it is designing, sewing, playing, loving, praying, or conversing.

So, if I'm ever talking to you and start to stare out into space, lost in thought, you have my permission to slap me upside the head and say, "Be present, Kristina!"

OK, maybe you could just snap your fingers or something... =D

Happy New Year!

(El Vintage dress, LOFT fur vest and belt, Anthro Renssalaur t-straps, UO tights)

Constructing: Stewart Dress

My bags are packed and we're headed north...

The husbie actually took these pics as we were walkin' out the door.

Mulled apple cider, marshmallow salad, sweet potato casserole...these are just a few

of the tasty things that await us at my Gramma's house. Oh, and lots and lots of snow. Yay!

I featured this dress earlier this fall, but the only reason I made it

was for this right here...black tights and a blazer.

I kinda noticed that I have the whole two-toned hair trend thing goin' on with the dark roots and whatnot.

Total coincidence. One of the many side effects of having dry, frizzy hair...my ends are always darker than the top. So unfortunately, I'll be livin' out the trend umpteen years after it's long gone.

But these things always come back around, right?

(Kristina J. Stewart Dress, LOFT blazer, Anthro triple buckle belt, Walmart plaid scarf, Mia cadet booties)

Wearing: All Black

It snowed! It snowed! It snowed!

Any girl with half a brain in her head would have curled up on the couch with a latte and a good book...

but no, this girl just had to get out in it.

I still had the Starbucks latte though...which has to count for something.

I love a first snow. The slush that follows is not so cool, however, so I hope it stays cold at least a couple days (sorry, all you snow haters!)...Michigan born girl here.

I just realized that all these pieces are Mossimo for Target.

How cool and affordable is that??!!!

(Mossimo for Target Satin Trench, Turtleneck and Wool Skirt, Mia Cadet Booties, Kenneth Cole Shades, Hue tights, Orla Kiely print bag)

Wearing: Indian Summer Dress

I built this dress earlier in the summer, but love, love, love all the things I've been able to do with it this fall...another go-to dress. And a girl can never have too many of those.

I'm sure my surgeon would absolutely want to wring my neck if he saw pictures of me climbing a 6 foot ladder into a hay loft! IN A DRESS!!! (but he doesn't follow this blog, 'cuz he's too busy doing other things, like saving people's lives, so I'm safe)...hehehe...

How was your Thanksgiving, BTY?

I about drowned in boiled custard, and now we're gonna make homemade custard ice-cream...

Will the indulgence never end?

(Kristina J. Indian Summer dress, Anthro Breezy Polkas Cardi, Target Stud belt, Mia Cadet booties)

Photos courtesy of Janelle's LookNook

November 25, Twenty-Ten

I'm thankful for:

the sun, even when it doesn't shine,

the rain, even when it ruins my hair.

Makenzie, because she's such a girl (just like me),

lots of friends, though I hate when lots of miles separate us,

fabric, because it's so much fun to manipulate,

chocolate, because even though it can't solve life's problems,

it does make them seem temporarily small and silly

compared to sheer taste-bud ecstasy,

Reagan, because there's never a dull moment with him,

tears, because they wash away the emotional junk,

parents, because without them I'd be nothing,

hugs,even when they're not long enough,

Konrad, because he reminds me of my brother,

laughter, because it keeps me sane,

criticism, because it keeps me grounded,

confidence, though there are times I should second-guess myself,

a relationship with Christ, because without Him,

I'm the most bitter, unlovable version of myself,

Scott, there's no such thing as too much time with him,

music, because it communicates with a place deep inside me,

love, because it always remains,

and you, for taking the time to read this.

(Gap herringbone blazer, Anthropologie Streaked Light skirt and Shine Through Button up, Mia Cadet booties, Orla Kiely print bag)