Crafting Conundrum

   It seems that I am in the midst of a creative block, at least in terms of physically creating things. I'm also feeling a slight wane in my motivation to write... I have plenty of topics I'm inspired by, but they all feel so monumental at the moment, and frankly the Benadryl I just took to clear up my sinuses has me feeling all sorts of weird right now. So, since I still have the urge to seek out inspiration and ideas here are a few things I've come across that are pushing me to jump back on the proverbial saddle, in hopes that sharing them will inevitably lead to me actually doing something creative:

1) This really amazing sewing box from Etsy. If I had an extra $25 laying around I would snap this up in a heartbeat!




2) A cake so cute you almost don't want to eat it...almost. I found it featured over at Twig & Thistle:




3) The diorama-esqe suitcases Astrid created at the end of White Oleander:

4) Vintage camera stamps that are shaped like cameras!!




5) Using (free) wine crates as shelves... I've been wanting to employ this trick for a while now:




What creative projects are you currently working on? What do you do when you lack the motivation to create to help yourself jump back in the driver's seat?

I've spent so much time cleaning and babyproofing that I feel like instead of adding beauty and creativity to our home, I am actually removing it... even though in it's place there is now simple, clutter free, cleanliness, something even I can't complain about! In the back of my mind I think that this purge of "stuff" I've been indulging in is in some ways a build up to a major creative explosion of sorts. Only time will tell.

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Schizophrenic Style: Major Change

   Several posts back I eluded to a major change to come in the near future, and the time has finally come to share my transformation... even though it's still somewhat of a work in progress. I've known I wanted to make some massive changes to my hair for quite a while now but building up the courage to attempt this change via the DIY route took some time, I have died my hair dark colors for years... but bleach? Now that is intimidating!!

   I'm not convinced I love the result, I like it yes, but it was kind of haphazard and I ran out of dye towards the end due to lack of planing/experience on my part leaving the top most portion of my head blond, which I kind of like but it's not what I was going for so I'm still feeling the itch to "finish the job".

Please excuse the Myspace styled photos, my tripod was in the bedroom where the baby had just finally fallen asleep and my wonderful husband is out of town... this was the best effort I could muster at 11:30pm last night. 

   Though my husband likes to joke that I was modeling my hair off of Major Kusanagi (from Ghost in the Shell) I was really going for something more like the examples below for my color; not that Major doesn't have awe inspiring hair, because she does... but that's beside the point.

   I will keep working on it until I am happy with it, but am taking a rest so as not to make my hair fall out in the process... and because I'm lazy and haven't picked up more dye yet. Crazy colored hair has kind of been a dream I've had since high school and I've played around with peek-a-boo panels in varying shades and slightly more dramatic than natural overall colors in darker hues, but I've decided that if I'm ever going to take the leap into the deep end now is the time! I've got to admit it's pretty exciting!

 P.S. This dress... I bought for a third off it's original price c/o Modcloth's Cabin Fever Sale... way more amazing than I even expected! (Tights were a gift and shoes are Iron Fist)

If you could have your hair any color without any consequences (from maintenance to evil stares and everything in between) what would it be?

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Be Careful, It's [Their] Heart...

   I have a confession to make... my internet problems mentioned in my last post aren't the reason I've been non-existent these past few days. It was the issue the day of my post, but the connectivity/speed problems resolved themselves withing 24 hours. I stayed gone because this has been a very strange and
uncomfortable week in our household. There has only been one thing in my mind begging to be written about and everything else seems trivial in it's shadow... the problem is that it is not my story to tell.

   With the internet and social networking having become such pervasive forces in our day to day lives we often don't notice new pitfalls in interpersonal relations rearing their ugly heads until the damage has been done. We're so used to sharing what's going on in our lives on the web (to varying degrees based on our personal comfort levels) that we often don't even think about whether a given piece of information is truly ours to share. How do we balance our need to reach out and share our experiences with others, to connect in times of joy or suffering, with our responsibility to protect the privacy of the people who are more directly impacted by the events or circumstances to which we so feel the need to respond? We have been introduced to a whole new platform of social interaction as a society pretty much all at once. There was no learning etiquette by example from someone who had been there and done that, the way a child learns social conventions from their parents. We all jumped in together with only common sense as our guide (and you know what they say about common sense not being very common).

   Things were difficult enough before we all had our own online presences, but now well-meaning people can do more harm then good at break-neck speeds. Not until you find out that you're pregnant do you think about the fact that you not only have to figure out in what order you will spread the news, but you will have to preface every conversation with "don't put this on Facebook until I give you the go-ahead, but..." and make sure that anybody they tells knows... because a congratulations on your wall before you got a chance to tell your boss on Monday morning could make for a rather awkward start to your work-week. Not to mention that you'll just have to resign yourself to the fact that everyone you know will have posted pictures of your newborn before you got a chance to see them yourself, or heaven forbid make your own birth announcement (I was lucky in this department, but know others that weren't). But, when this tangled mess of online communication suddenly requires people to become their own pr departments in the wake of personal tragedies we need to tread very carefully. The last thing someone should have to think about after losing a loved one is playing policeman online to make sure that no well-meaning condolences wind up appearing in the news feed of family members before they get the chance to tell them the news directly.

   It's not just the speed of information anymore that overwhelms us like a drink from a firehose, it's the speed of our relationships. Our best efforts to connect with and support each other are often times undermined by the methods we choose to conduct our interactions through. I am guilty of it I am sure. But if this week has reminded me of anything it's the importance of communication. Real one on one, person to person communication.

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Please Excuse the Interruption... This is Only a Test.

   Unfortunately our internet provider seems to have up and reinterpreted their definition of "high-speed internet" to mean glacial connection speeds. This new development is not proving to be extremely conducive to posting new content over here at Taxidermy Worms. I will continue to write through this roadblock, however posting may be more intermittent than is normal until a) Clear gets their act together or b) I suddenly develop inhuman patience for 30 minute load times and endless time outs.... whichever happens first.

On a semi-side note... how in the world did we ever get by in the days of dial-up and land lines {insert sarcasm here}

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Schizophrenic Style: The New Kid in Town

   Turns out Bastian got more than just his mom's nose, he also seems to be showing early signs of an affinity towards the rock n' roll aesthetic... or at the very least he looks pretty darn cute in black, white and red plaid and skull adorned hats! Who knows what he'll choose for himself when he takes over his own wardrobe selections. For now I'm enjoying his pliability.

   He spent most of his day yesterday, and much of this morning honing his crawling skills. He's gotten scooting around on our (fake) wood flooring down to a science but Grandma and Grandpa's carpet proved a bit more difficult. I have a feeling the scooting phase is almost over since he has now mastered getting up on hands and knees and can move decently well from there, all he has left to do is crack the right hand / left leg (and then switching to the opposite combo) pattern and he'll be off like a rocket!!

Hat: Urban Baby Runway
Button-up Shirt: Thrifted ($1.21)
Jeans: Hand-me-down
Socks: Circo brand by Target (the only kind I can get to stay on his feet)

How much do you infuse your own style into your kid's apparel?

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Watching The Puddles Gather Rain

   "No Rain" by Blind Melon has long been my happy song... the one that makes my heart smile no matter what mood I'm in. I suspect it's because to me the song feels like my childhood. It is the very essence of those hours spent on our porch swing watching the lightening and listening to the sounds of thunder and rain water gushing down the street into the gutter on our corner in the middle of summer... all of that wrapped up into a melody, the music conveying more then just a story. It describes the indescribable, a feeling, a state of being. At least for me it does.

Image c/o patterned

   I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want for Bastian in terms of childhood memories, and for our future children. I remember reading for hours, and sometimes longing for rainy days so that I had all the more reason to stay in my bed 24/7 with my books. I also remember riding bikes, playing catch, scraping my knees in my frantic attempts at hiding under bushes and climbing up trees while my sister counted to 10 or 15 or whatever number she felt was high enough to begin her search at. I remember being outside. Even when it rained. Mud made the outdoors all the more fun to explore. I have many scars to prove it.

Image c/o SashaW

   Bastian has not been able to spend any time outside since he was born and this fact saddens me. I realize he is only 6 months old, but still I long for warmth and more so, an outside territory to explore with him that isn't covered in asphalt and cement. Someday soon little man, when spring settles in to stay, we will go adventuring... I promise.

"All I can say is that my life is pretty plain, I like watching the puddles gather rain"

- Blind Melon 

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Schizophrenic Style: Thrifting Triumph!

   While I love buying a new, never worn before garment just as much as the next lady there is nothing quite like the thrill of thrifting a new (to me) item that obviously has amazing potential, but has been simply waiting around in hiding for the right person to come along and discover it... love it... take it home. Not to mention I'm on a budget, and even if I wasn't, that coy "Oh this? I got it for $10 at my local thrift store" feeling never quite wears off every time I leave my house in one of those gems. The hunt is half the fun!

   My mom and I made a trip over to a shop just down the street from me that I've neglected to visit in the 5 years I've lived here... and I'm pretty sure that, based on the number of times I said "why have I not been shopping here all along" that I will be back again countless times in the near future. Here's what I scored for myself... I will post some of the baby clothes I got (for, no joke, 88 cents a piece) shortly:

Guess Bomber Jacket $27.76

I fumbled over this jacket but ultimately decided to go ahead and buy it because I couldn't get it out of my head the whole time we were shopping... the thing is it's real fur, and I never got around to deciding whether I'm ok with that or not... what I decided? well in this case at least I'm fine with it because A) I eat meat B) I wear leather and most of all C) I wouldn't be adding any additional demand to the fur market, the damage was already done by the original purchaser, and it would either sit there forever, wind up in my closet or in someone else's... I understand these reasons may not cut it for others, but in my mind if I didn't buy the coat on principle I would also need to stop buying leather... and I'm not prepared to do that. Sorry.

 

Suede "Almost Famous" Coat $12.21

I had a coat like this in high school but longer and without the awesome detailing and I miss it dearly... it went missing after I accidentally forgot to grab it one afternoon in my mad dash to catch the bus, I realized it quickly enough and headed back to get it; alas it was already gone.  It's brown and I don't wear brown very much... but I just flat out don't care... it's that awesome!

Calvin Klien Sweater Dress $9.91

My wonderful mother treated me to this amazing little number. I may be too obsessed with the black and gray combo in my wardrobe, but it's so versatile and I generally prefer bold colors in my accessories versus my basic pieces anyways... so this dress is perfect for me!

Black Crush-Velvet Dress... $1.81

Seriously?!?!?!!! This magnificence, under $2?? It may be very well the best deal I've ever gotten!!! It may be slightly quirky / kitschy but that just adds to it's charm! 

 

Gray Pinstripe Jumper Dress $3.63

Also a gift from the world's best mother! She's pretty much the coolest mom ever!

  

And finally...Yes... I really did buy...

Batman fabric and rainbow suspenders!!!!! 

How could I not?

I plan to make pajamas out of the fabric... for myself of course, not for my husband or son... they are Superman fans much to my dismay. The suspenders will be an amazing addition to my wardrobe... I can't wait to break out my high-waisted wide leg trouser jeans and wear them with these bad boys! Oh and my red shorts! ...this is most definitely one of my biggest high school fashion dreams come true!

 And here is a sneak peak at how I styled the Calvin Klien dress and Guess jacket... for a business meeting this past Tuesday evening... yes, this is how I dress for business.

What are the best thrifting deals you've ever scored?
You're favorite second-hand piece?

Note: I apologize here and now for my

over-use of ellipses. Can't help it. My literary vice.

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