farewell october

October was a beautiful & busy month.

I caught sunrises & sunsets 

Found my new favorite pair of jeans

Made a pretty succulent planter

and bought some red lipstick 

I also read some really great blog posts:

> Homemade Oatmeal 9 Ways [a beautiful mess]

> Wearing Dresses as Skirts [from the aisle to aloha]

> Biz Ladies: Guide to Successful Product Launch [design* sponge]

> Tips for Blogging Your Handmade Biz [sunshine and carousels]

did I miss something great you read? let me know!

and happy halloween. I'm not dressing up, but the corgi monster may be wearing his handmade costume from last year while we hand out candy to trick-or-treaters:

goodwill little boys tee + felt = $2 doggie costume & endless entertainment.

xo, erika

saturday is game day

at least it's game day in my house.

the husband loves college football, especially University of Washington college football. He grew up going to games (his grandpa is an alum) and then went to every game as a college student.

I went as a college student too but once you've graduated, tickets get a little pricey and I'm not the biggest sports fan.

But on days like yesterday, even I can't resist a fall day at the stadium.

 

 

and yes, we won :)

sponsor love :)

have you said hello to my october sponsors this month? If not, take a moment this afternoon to swing by their lovely shops & blogs.

 blog / shop

Frances says: "Hi everyone! Our October has been non-stop excitement! A Wisdom Teeth removal, Apple festivals, a huge custom pillow order, a trip to see our family, Nate started saying fish, and a 22 hour road trip (which we drove straight through with our toddler) have been keeping me busy. There's lots of sewing and visiting loved ones in my future- pure bliss :)" 

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Earl-Leigh says: This month has been busy! I've met more awesome bloggy and Twitter pals. My blog got a face lift and I've been sewing and dreaming up new items for my shop...including some really pretty infinity scarves. Let's not forget about all of the tasty pumpkin cookies I've been baking. I heart Fall!

blog / shop

Gillian says: This month I've been buried a bit in school and my new job, but took some time out to have a lovely Thanksgiving meal as well as cuddle up and keep warm with my puppy Jesse! 

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fall love-- link up!

I love fall.

for gorgeous sunsets & sunrises and crisp air and changing leaves

for rust and brown

and scarves and boots

and baking pumpkin treats with the husband:

and of course, eating what we baked: pumpkin cornbread. delish.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoons ground nutmeg
• ½ cups brown sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2  Eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cups olive oil
• 1 tablespoon molasses 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8×8″ baking dish.
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, brown sugar, and cornmeal.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and then stir in the pumpkin, oil, and molasses.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined, and then pour the batter into the pan, smoothing out the top as much as possible.

Bake 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm (with honey!)
recipe found here

linking up for the fall followers' fest... go check out all the other fall-themed posts! :)

and of course,  happy friday.

baby it's cold outside

 

scarf: portland market  coat: target  tights: fred meyer  boots: nordstrom

And yes,  I'm wearing clothes under my jacket but you can't see 'em, so no need to say where they're from

It's coat weather here. It honestly doesn't get that cold here in Seattle (I know, I know, anyone in California, Arizona or Florida is gonna disagree with me) but we're not Chicago, New York or Maine in terms of weather. 

You'd think being so close to Canada and the closest state to Alaska, we would be chillier... but snow is like a once or twice a year thing. And people get really excited or really angry. 

I'm actually relishing coat weather and the opportunity to pull out this trench coat.

I love the look of trench coats because they make any outfit grown-up.

That, and I have an excuse to narrate things like I'm in a spy movie.

"It was a dark and stormy night and I knew he was up to no good..."

I've always wanted to be a spy. 

xo, Erika

p.s. Confession time: when a friend of mine and I were little we continually pretended to be spies and practiced moves that would get us into the CIA. But you guys did that too... right?

wedding pretties

Tuesdays are blah for me. Maybe they're blah for you too... which is why I'm sharing some pretty photos.

because who doesn't love wedding photos?

my friend catherine married chris over labor day weekend. I made her a one-of-a-kind bridal hair piece featuring tulle, russian veiling and a vintage brooch.

getting hitched soon? I'd love to make something for you too.

all photos via one of my favorite photographers: chantal andrea. check her blog & facebook.

xo, erika

p.s. I'm a part of a great giveaway on No. 17. go take a peek :)

i mustache you a question

we had a mustache party this weekend. only requirement of attendance was some sort of upper lip facial hair-- real or not. (mine was not real-- if you were wondering.)


what I learned during the party is not only that stick-on mustaches limit your ability to eat, but a certain crazy puppy has a penchant for eating stick-on mustaches.

yes, my dog ate four mustaches.

he first ate a gray mustache, followed by part of a pencil thin mustache that fell to the floor, then a small brown 'stache that someone removed, and finally a villian-type piece of facial hair.

so far, he's suffered no ill-effects.

but honestly, if you want to have a hoppin' party-- get a dog to eat weird things. Guaranteed party success. 

what did you do this weekend?

xo, erika

five things friday sunsets & sunrises

I think I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I love Fridays. I love the promise of the weekend, two days to sleep in, to see my husband, to sew, to take the dog to the park and to breathe.

this week, like most weeks, was busy but I found myself taking note of the good things in the busy.

1. sunsets & sunrises. It's been gorgeous here and as it gets later, I've been treated for sunrises before work as I walk the dog, and new skies as I get into work.

2. the view from my work. I can watch the ferries come in and out. I imagine what lies inside the container ships docking at the Port. I can squint and see the islands and the mountains beyond.

3. I am blessed by a job, by a roof over my head, by food on the table. more and more I realize how blessed I am and how many have so much less than I do.

4. this blog. I really do love blogging and I am excited that more people are joining me on this journey. thank you for taking part.

5. finally listing some things in the shop. my goodness that was a long time coming. and i promise there will be more to come as well :)


what was good in your life?

xo, erika

linking up: 

sponsor me

 

it's still free 'cuz I don't have this blogging thing down pat yet.

but I'm offering limited spaces because I want to give major love to my sponsors.

Also, if you have an awesome handmade shop, I'm putting together quite the Christmas party & gift guide (and already have some pretty fab people lined up... I'm not going to name drop, but they are pretty famous). 

If you'd like to be a part of any of this future fabulous-ness, please email me :)

rougeandwhimsy [at] gmail [dot] com

xo, erika

not your mom's jeans

 tee: H&M  jeans: Gap  shoes: Marshalls

In high school it was the age of Christina and Britney, midriffs and low-rise jeans.

I remember that my t-shirts could not go over the top of my jeans-- they just had to meet perfectly.

Some of my high school teachers made girls raise their arms to see if their shirts were appropriate.

I am so thankful those days are over. Not only because high school can be terrible, but because super low-rise jeans are working their way out.

I've been on the hunt for a good pair of higher-rise jeans for ever. Often when I shop I know exactly what I want and I just have to find the place that makes it.

sometimes no one makes what I want.

For awhile I thought this was the case with the high-rise jeans. I didn't want the retro flare, or the super trouser lookin' jeans or high-rise skinny jeans. I wanted a nice boot-cut dark denim higher-rise jean. And I didn't want mom jeans (no offense moms out there but you know what I mean...)

And I finally found 'em after weeks of searching.

And I love them.

And I may wear them every day.

You woudn't judge me for that, would you?

Do you ever search and search for the perfect thing-- your ideal jeans, skirt or purse?

xo, erika

p.s. if you've never seen the SNL commercial for mom jeans, get yourself over to hulu and watch this.

what i love: house love

Lately I've been getting the itch to redo some of the rooms in my home. We've only lived here a year and a half and there's definitely some unfinished spaces in the house that need some attention.

I love the look of mix and match decor. A home that looks lived in and loved.

I love something rustic like this

source

paired with something a little more classic like this

source

and maybe something modern like this:

source

with a splash of color:

source

and a touch of whimsy

source

how do you put together a room? 

xo, erika

linking up!