Style Feature: Rachel Antonoff

This morning my lovely boss at BUST sent me on a small mission to pick up some dresses for a photoshoot from the Rachel Antonoff offices in the city. I bundled up, faced the tundra, and walked the 16 blocks it took me to get to their warm offices, and found the eye candy there TOTALLY worth the walk. The 2015 spring collection is both architectural and organic in a very floral way. It's the perfect modern vintage that I swoon over. 

Hopefully these spring designs brightened up your cold winter afternoon. Stay safe in this crazy storm, I know I'll be hiding under lots of blankets tonight!
xoxo
Mary 

Galentines Day Handmade Gift Guide for your BFF

One of the many fictional women I aspire to be more like is the incredibly precocious Leslie Knope, deputy directer of Parks and Recreation, and the woman who coined the holiday "Galentines Day." If you don't already know, Galentines day is meant to be spent celebrating your lady friendships the day before valentines day. My best friend's birthday is right before Galentines, so I usually lump the two together because I'm a bad person. I love the idea of setting aside time to bask in the warm glow of friendship, so I put together this gift guide for Galentines (or your bff's birthday) so you can give that perfect present. We all can't make mosaic portraits using our favorite soda beverage, but we can buy handmade, which is almost as good. 

Tom and Jean-Ralphio Bff Necklaces

Amy and Tina Bff Necklaces

Artemis Hair Pin

Ice Cream Sundae Bff's Sculpture 

Bitch Please Mug

Galentines Greeting Card

Pizza Lovers Bff Necklaces

Daria and Jane Sticker Set

Illustrated Tina Fey Quote

If you guys are planing anything special for Galentines or even Valentines let me know! I'd love to hear about your fancy dates, platonic and romantic alike. 

xoxoxo

Mary 

Pinball Lights and Taxidermy Sweethearts

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite places in my home town: Artisan Works, a dramatic showcase of local work in an absolutely inspiring setting. There's painting, sculptures, photographs, and works of taxidermy splattered across the walls and ceiling working in both a harmonious and competitive way with each other. It's truly one of the most inspiring places I've ever been, and it always feels a bit like coming home when walking through the doors. 

Outfit Specs:

Jeweled Chambray Blouse - Loft

Skirt - Old (similar)

Black Tights - HUE

Mary Jane Shoes - Doc Martens

Bag - Vintage

DIY: Winter Pom Pom Crown

Handmade pom poms are some of my favorite things to decorate and accessorize with. They look great on a garland, pinned on a sweater, and even on top of your head! This easy pom pom crown tutorial is a fun wintery look that you can make using those leftover balls of yarn. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial! If you make it, make sure to share it with me via instagram, twitter, or email!

xoxo

Mary

DIY: Heart Eyes Emoji Badge

My friends can all attest to the fact that the heart eyes emoji is my most frequently used icon. Along with being the perfect thing to say, it also makes the perfect accessory. Wear it to build up your valentines spirit, or sport it all year round like me! Here I'll show you step by step how to make one for yourself. 

Hope you guys make some of these for yourself! Share your own emoji pins on instagram with the hashtag #giddyuppinup so I can see them for myself. If you're interested in buying either of these pins, leave a comment and I'll add them to my etsy. 

Have fun crafting!

xoxo

Mary

Handmade Valentines Gift Guide for Him and for Her

I'm a child of two florists, so I know a few things about valentines gifts. I've watched thousands of men in my lifetime stumble into my family's store, unsure of what to do for valentines. 

Don't be that guy. Handmade gifts are always a sign of thoughtfulness and romance, so consider buying handmade this year. I've put together a list of some of my favorite handmade gifts for your partner, just remember to order early and account for shipping time when it comes to small business buying. 

Glitter Vinyl Billfold Wallet with Heart Appliqué

Valentine Headband

Rose Hair Bow
Black Leather Collar
Handmade ceramic cup
Game of Thrones Posters
Rose Quarts Earings

Crocheted Donut Cowl

Phone Dock Station and Planter Terrarium

Silver Star Wars Cufflinks

World Map Poster

Handmade Leather Razor Bag

Wooden Wallet/Card Case

The Lumberjack Beard Kit

Beard Comb

Hops in the Shower Beer Soap
Personalized Tie Clip

I love giving suggestions for handmade gifts, so if you have any questions feel free to leave comments of shoot me an email!

xoxo 

Mary

Pretty Planning: Organization for Class and Career

As I mentioned in my last post, I've recently become obsessed with planning and organizing my time and my life. As I'm graduating in may and starting a career as an illustrator, planning and organizing has become vital to my formerly chaotic lifestyle. I never used planners in grade school and was always a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. I'm now discovering that being a messy artist type isn't romantic, it's unprofessional and a waste of time. I figured sharing my 2015 strategy could help others get themselves together as well. 

The Day Planner

The planner I'm using this year is the Kate Spade 17 month large planner, which I chose for an aesthetic preference as well as its layout. I like the monthly spread along with the week on two pages, allowing me to mark big events in the month and also make to-do lists in the spread. I use decorative masking tape stickers to block out birthdays, breaks, and days when I post blogs. I keep lists in the notes section up front including a list of blog post ideas and places I'd like to apply to in the next few months. 

The Notebooks

The two notebooks I'm currently using are the Sugar Paper for Target notebook with calendar and a simple lined notebook from Walmart. I'm using the notebook with the calendar for school notes and tracking exams. The calendar in the front makes it easy to see the dates of assignments and exams and there's plenty of room for notes in the back. 

The plain notebook is for brain dumps and jotting down details about ideas for projects and blog posts. I also use this book to track what I'm eating and grocery lists. 

The Sketchbook

Like most visual artists, I'm very picky about sketchbooks. I've found sketchbook peace in the Baron Fig Confidant, which lies completely flat and has great paper quality. I use sketchbooks for everything from sketching out quick ideas to trying out new mediums. I usually don't use wet media in my sketchbooks, but I recommend a watercolor moleskine or an arches watercolor pad for markers, paints, or watercolors. 

Daily Art Journal

In 2015 I'm trying out daily comics to try to improve my craft. To keep these comics in a safe place, I'm drawing them in a 2015 Hobonichi Techo, which is a japanese style of day planner that leaves space for daily entry and good paper quality for art journaling. The planner ships from Japan but arrives in a timely fashion and is definitely worth the wait. 

Hope this information inspires you to create a more organized life!

xoxo

Mary

Winter Queen Flower Crown and a Fruitful New Year

Hope you guys had a lovely last day of 2014 and are now ushering in the new year with positive thoughts and maybe a solid hangover. I'm not really a huge party person and my smooch partner is six hours away from me currently so I spent New Years Eve in bed watching Bravo with wine. 

I also sported this winter crown I made for a social media competition at the florist where I work. We were assigned to take the upcoming year's wedding trends and make an accompanying floral piece. Instead of a bouquet, I put together this winter crown using holiday greens, spray roses, and a white gerbera daisy. I'm quite happy with the result if I do say so myself!

I wanted to lay out some of my resolutions for the new year here in a public place where I'll feel more committed to upholding them. If you know me, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of new years resolutions: I love starting a new cycle in alignment with the natural world. Here are a few things I want to commit to in the upcoming year:

• Stay organized. I've very recently become obsessed with planning and organizing my time and my possessions. Hopefully I can keep this up all year round. 
• Don't allow yourself to be controlled by your gut. Diets make me anxious and workout regimens make me rebellious and angry, so hopefully I can reprogram my relationship with food instead of feeling unhealthy or miserable on a diet.
• Graduate and not flounder afterwords. This is less of a resolution and more of a cross-your-fingers-and-pray type thing, but ya know, it happens. 
• Drink less beer casually. Towards the end of this year I stopped drinking beer outside of social situations for fear of beer belly. Hopefully I can keep it up throughout the year. 
• Don't rely on others for emotional stability. I have an amazingly supportive family, best friend, and boyfriend. However, I need to be able to thrive on my own without clutching these things for support. 
• Keep up with this blog! I have a bad tendency to start things like this and then abandon them. Not this year!

In 2014 I left an abusive relationship, moved through grief, began to learn how to grow up, and gained confidence in myself as an illustrator and as a women. I hope 2015 has even brighter events for me to discover. 

xoxo

Mary