friday finds & favorites (and an old reference)

is it still cool to reference Rebecca Black... and time to get down Friday?

or does that make me a little uncool?

hm. I'm guess I'm just really thankful it's Friday.

here are the things I've gathered up from the internets that I love.

 - cilantro lime hummus. like for reals. so delish. I should know, I made it. 

 - modcloth stop tempting me with your cute dresses like this one.

- this bracelet from tovicorrie. heck their whole shop of lovely handpainted leather! so unique!

 - this photo from sincerely kinsey. gah. can i be in that picture? (esp cuz it's raining here.)

 - you know I should wear this outfit on sequins and sprinkles next time it rains... like tomorrow.

and some text-y links:
- Baby Baker Love has the cutest love story on her blog -- I love stick figures.

-  a good reminder about finding joy in little things from Here's to You Mrs. Robinson

- and apparently I run out of rooms when I get an idea. True story, I am a little scatterbrained.

- wanna sponsor me? I have one XL spot open and a few mediums!

hey if you want to play along, that would be fun! share your link in the comments! :)

xo, erika

p.s. just had the best idea. I am going to name my daughter Friday. Honestly-- it's a cute name, and I love Fridays so much-- why not? <-- if you have reasons you can share in the comments.

why i pursue handmade

 I heart handmade necklace by CABfyre

I've been thinking a lot about this post. 

And before you think that it's going to all confession-style, like tears in the limo after the Bachelor kind of post, don't worry, I'm not quite there. 

It's just I've been thinking about handmade, about Etsy, about the handmade community and why I have decided -- for nearly a year -- to spend my time pursuing handmade.

There are some people in the world that are creative souls. They need -- I need -- an outlet of some sorts. Whether it's graphic design, painting or sewing -- they have the desire to purse a creative life. Sometimes they get it in their day job-- sometimes they get it in hobbies, or they're like me and have a hybrid of real job and dream job. 

Often the things they make are gorgeous, one-of-a-kind expressions of themselves. Things that take them too much time and sweat and tears and planning and inspiration and desperation and creativity and spark and so much more. And when they sell an item, they're selling a little bit of this dream and a little bit --in a good way -- of themselves. 

And that's those that support and respect handmade are contributing to those dreams. Buying things from stores like Target and Forever 21 aren't bad -- I do it too -- but making a choice to support something a little different is so good. 

And it's also why that when I put my purses out there or someone sells their graphic prints, it's such a big deal for us -- the artist, the sewer, the fashion designer, the business woman -- to have others understand the process behind it all and the dream behind it all. 

Handmade is not a mass-produced item, handmade is not something that was made quickly without thought. Handmade is original; it comes from someone who designed and planned and dreamed and toiled and is so proud of what they put forth. They are excited to share what they make with you.

Sometimes I'm embarrassed by people knowing that I have a shop on Etsy. 

I take that back. I get embarrassed more than sometimes. Not by you, my blog people, (which is a funny thing to call you guys, but you get it,) but real life people -- like the coworker in the elevator who asks about my purse or the friend from high school that finds my blog. Although I believe all that this blog and my shop is an extension of myself, an expression of myself, sometimes it's so personal and I worry that people won't understand why I do what I do. 

print by missjillmcdonald

But maybe next time people ask, I'll point them to this post in an attempt to put words behind a passion -- a passion that sometimes keeps me up late, sometimes gets me so excited and sometimes gets me so frustrated -- but a passion that keeps me going nonetheless.

I'm sorry for the word vomit. If you made it this far, kudos. I owe you big.

Happy Thursday. It's almost Friday. 

xo, erika

what i wore: my mom's blazer

 blazer: vintage  // tank: Nordstrom (similar)  //  jeans: Gap (similar) //  shoes: Wanted 

In the late 1970s, Debbie wore a black velvet blazer to a New Years party. Underneath, she styled a white blouse with a pink bow tie. The blazer was one of her favorites, so much so that even when she no longer wore it, she couldn't bear to get rid of it.

Fast forward twenty-something years when I discovered the black blazer, among a few other gems, hanging in a garment bag and Debbie, my mom, let me keep the blazer.

I wear this blazer all the time and what I love more than the fit and the style is that it has history. It's more than an article of clothing, but a piece that connects me with my mom when she was my age.

Do you have any pieces of clothing that have a story behind them?

xo, erika

linking up here to pleated poppy & letter 4 blog

diy: neon chain necklace

How horrible is it that while I'm writing this blog post all that runs through my head is "it's off the chain..."

Send help.

But before that, try out this super simple DIY to make your own neon chain necklace. I saw the pricey version at J Crew but thought that with some supplies I could recreate it on my own.

 supplies: paint (i bought cheap-o acrylic stuff at JoAnns), foam brushes, gold chain, gold jump rings, nail polish remover, clear nail polish

directions:
 1. To create a gold chain necklace, use pliers to open a large gold jump ring and hook both ends of the chain to it. Use pliers to close the ring. I ended up putting three jump rings at the back of the necklace but one will work fine.
 2. paint! You could do a pattern, multiple colors, get creative!
 3. after it dries, you can use a q-tip soaked in nail polish remover to clean up any boo-boos you have. (I'm sure yours will look better than mine.) At this point you can also brush clear nail polish to seal the paint, but I don't think this step is necessary. :)
 4. rock your new neon necklace-- preferrably at J Crew so you can show off just how diy-awesome and thrifty you are. ;)

xo, erika

p.s. once it gets nice I may just spray paint a few chain necklaces completely. I'm thinking orange.

updates & such

hi!

how are you?

while it is Monday-- one of my not-so-favorite- days, I'm happy because I had a great weekend, spending lots of time with the husband, the pup and getting a few bag orders sewed up. Plus Seattle finally decided to be spring, so that meant laying outside reading (hunger games) and going for walks.


I also added two new colorblock totes to the shop, and one is my new favorite...

Coral and gray! and I especially love the cheerful yellow, rose print inside. Soo cute :)

I'll be adding it in a crossbody bag version (soonish), but if you want to preorder one, you can always email me to order one: rougeandwhimsy [at] gmail [dot] com.

I hope you guys are all having a good start to your week! I'm convincing myself that I am ;)

xo, erika

p.s. what color bags would you like to see in the shop? let me know!

friday finds & favorites: spring showers and flowers

For this week's Friday Finds & Favorites I'm having one of my sponsors Candace share her favorite things for spring!

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Hi everyone! I'm so excited for the opportunity to spend some time with you all today! My name is Candace and I write Woodgrain & Gold. I am a design student living in Portland OR, but am a native Seattleite like our lovely miss Erika. Blogging happened to me a couple months ago and I have completely fallen for it. In my blog I give a little insight on what it's like living in Portlandia, different aspects of design, and a fair share of fun DIYs. I hope to see you over there!

Spring for the most part entails a good amount of showers and breezy sunny days, especially over here in the good old Pacific Northwest, so I thought it was only fair to recognize them as two different lists.

found here: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 

 I feel it's necessary that every girl have a black and white striped shirt. It's a great staple and paired with a bright hi-lo skirt and a floral scarf, you have one amazing outfit. There is a Doc Martens store across the street from my school and I am completely head over heels. You can never go wrong with a well made handbag and pair of oxfords. Tangerine is the hot color right now (right pantone?) and makes a fun pop of color for your nails. Top it all off with a lovely bright blue pair of sunglasses and you are ready for the sunny days.

 found here: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

A light wash denim top and floral pants? In love. I am a public transportation girl so a good backpack and cute umbrella are a must for the rainier days. I highly recommend the Native "Jimmy" boots, they are lightweight and perfect for rain. Pair them with a tall sock, like those amazing mustard yellow ones, and you are golden. When spring comes along I switch over to a lot more citrus and fruity smells. I just switched over from Rosebud's Minted Rose to Strawberry and it feels very appropriate.

 

There you have it, my must-haves for spring, hope you like them as much as I do. Big thanks Erika for having me! Hope you all have a great rest of your weeks! Happy Spring!

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Candace-- no good. You've totally tempted me to go shopping because although the rainy day outfit is more practical-- I want that yellow skirt! 

Friends-- to see more of Candace's lovely style picks I highly recommend her blog. 

happy weekend!

xo, erika

green smoothie

Does anyone else feel like kale is in right now? Like it's the vegetable? Maybe it's wrong, but I feel like food, like fashion, comes and goes. Poor spinach-- it used to be cool. And carrots? So 1990s.

If you're wondering how in the heck to eat the leafy green stuff I have a solution. While I do like it in salads and added to soups, there's a sneaky sneaky way to get the good green stuff in a smoothie, which is something I have been doing as of late. (mainly because the husband dislikes kale and doesn't appreciate me sprinkling it into our meals.)

banana: I like to peel these, cut 'em in half and put 'em in the freezer so they're ready for smoothie use
flax seeds: a little bit of extra crunch and fiber. (You could stick other nerdy healthy things in here)
blueberries: I love blueberries. Other frozen fruit works well too
kale: like I said, the hip extra-good-for-you veggie. You could use spinach here too

Blend it with plain yogurt, juice or I prefer almond milk because dairy is not my greatest friend these days. :(

Do you have smoothies on a regular basis? What do you stick in them?

xo, erika

p.s. wanna win one of my bags? you might want to check this out.

what i wore on a blustery day

 sweater: Madewell // dress: Nordstrom // tights: ?? // booties: Wanted shoes // bag: Rouge & Whimsy

Seattle still thinks it's winter which is why I'm still thinking of ways to convert favorite spring dresses into winter wears.

Take this summer dress. It's a perfect candidate for a loose-fitting sweater over it, thick tights and my favorite booties. And of course-- my latest color block bag in yellow and gray. (This one may be my favorite.) Though I'm not gonna lie, the biting wind made it so all this had to be covered up by a thick coat. boo.

Notice my dog in the photo? I was looking through some outfit posts and he's in nearly every single photo. He's quite the ham. I may have do a roundup post soon!

Happy Wednesday!

xo, erika

p.s. Are you a facebook friend of Rouge & Whimsy? I'm sharing a little discount code on my page sometime today... :)

diy: stamped t-shirt

I got the inspiration for my revamped, stamped tee from the one and only elsie of a beautiful mess. I loved her stamped horse dress and knew I had to do some version of it-- even if it was just on a thrifted tee.

supplies: foam (at least 1 inch thick), fabric paint, cotton tee (or skirt or dress)

 cut out your desired shapes (I started easy with a triangle) and stamp!

It's actually kind of addicting. I'm already brainstorming what I can stamp next.

xo, erika

p.s. I know that Megan of Moonbeamwishes did a stamped dress too-- super cute! if you try this diy let me know-- I'd love to see it :)

p.p.s. new color blocked bags in the shop-- check 'em out :)

5 beauty basics from Jenna the wife

 I am so excited to introduce you to a fellow redhead and gorgeous lady (inside & out). She is a beauty maven/all-around rock star so I asked her share some of her fav beauty products with you! enjoy!

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Hello there all you lovely Rouge & Whimsy readers! I am beyond excited to be guest posting today for Miss Erika! I had the amazing opportunity to meet her a couple of weeks ago, and can I just say... WOW? I mean, that girl is STYLIN', CUTE AND FUNNY TO BOOT!! Have you noticed? She might be the funniest redheaded-Washingtonian-crafty-little-fox I've ever met! So a little intro is in order, I suppose. I'm Jenna, and I blog/ramble over at The Life of the Wife. I talk about LOTS of things--from my life, to my baby, to beauty, fashion & some DIY's. You know what they say, "A jack of all trades..master of none"--yup, that's moi! :)

Yes sir, a little crazy, that's ME :)

I do a series at my blog called "Beauty Q&A" which I am super excited about!! 

I get to share my makeup-artist knowledge with YOU ALL! 

Today, I want to talk about what's in my BEAUTY BAG! These are my must haves, my go-to's, my ABSOLUTE necessities that I carry in my purse at ALL TIMES! You just never know when you're going to need, say, a bright shade of lipstick if the occasion calls for it, right? 

1. Bobbi Brown Lip Balm SPF 15. This stuff does WONDERS for my dry, cracked lips in Winter. I have probably 5 tins of this at any one time. Obsessed much?
2. Maybelline The Falsies Mascara. If you are a reader of mine, I think you get the point by now. I have never ever found a mascara that I have been so enamored with (and I've tried ALOT). AMAZE-balls. Yup.
3. Stila Convertible Color (Petunia). I use this on my cheeks after a long day, or on my lips for that POP of color. It's matte and stays on really well throughout the night.
4. Suave Dry Shampoo (comes in travel-size also). **I think Erika used some of this in AZ so I know she likes it too :)** I will never EVER go back to expensive Dry Shampoos. This is THE ONE! It takes the grease out of my hair, and boy do I get greasy hair! And it smells fantastic too!
5. Trish McEvoy Luxe Balm. You will NEVER find me without this. I use it on my dry cuticles, my chapped lips AND on my face for a little glow. Love. This. Stuff.
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil. This is one pencil eyeliner that STAYS PUT. If you are working all day, or a Mama-on-the-go, this is a MUST. It glides on easy, and doesn't move all day. For a pencil eyeliner-that is pretty amazing!

So there you have it, folks! I hope you enjoyed it!

 A BIG THANKS again to Erika for letting me crash your blog for a day! I hope you guys will wander on over to my blog and say hi! I love new readers!

:) Jenna, The Wife

the best sign of spring

The best sign of spring is not the sole daffodil in my front yard struggling to survive or a new cute dress. And it's especially not good weather, because currently it's 42 degrees in Seattle.

No, the best sign of spring is that my neighbor's goats had babies.

Two little kids, actually. That's the technical name for baby goats.

Adorable, right?

And if you're wondering, yes I do live in Seattle city limits. My house is only about 7 miles north of downtown. But for whatever reason my little neighborhood is part farm. These little cuties are just a piece of it.

xo, erika

p.s. I'm working on the husband. I think we need goats too.

or an alpaca.

friday favorites & finds

a few of my favorite things in real life & online this week.  this will be an ongoing series -- feel free to join in if you would like!

 

1.  these beautiful sperry topsiders from jcrew.

2.  lessons in blog layouts on dot in the city.

3. love Alyssa's bold color outfit as well as her bold words. (blue + plaid = perfection )

4. this is so cute! and so is everything else in megan's embroidery shop.

 5. love love this orange clutch by sew beastly. i'm actually just loving orange lately.

  6. i love burgers. even veggie burgers. this recipe on food coma looks delish.

7. polka dots + mint + pleats? sign me up please!

8. I don't get a spring break (boo being a grown-up) but if I was, I'd pack these things.

9. Erin's new blog series "Dear Erin" makes me giggle.

10. heather of justlove.ly things is like my blog guru. seriously she finds the best tools -- passionfruit ads? totally have to check it out for organizing sponsor stuff.

what did you love this week? I also love my puppy and when my husband texts me photos of the little guy doing weird things while he's home sick. I also love not getting sick from my husband! just say no to germs!

happy friday!

xo, erika

butter my buns and call me a biscuit

I'm not from the south. I've never been to the South.

But this Seattle girl does love biscuits.

In fact most pastries make me happy: biscuits, scones, pie... you name it.

And so even though I live in the land of coffee and tech, I have the easiest recipe to make delicious, homemade biscuits in 20 minutes or less. Honestly-- time yourself. It's quick.

ingredients:
2 cups flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour)
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

directions:
mix flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl with a fork.
cut in shortening and mix with pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. add milk and stir. drop by the spoonful onto a nonstick cookie sheet.
bake at 450* for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

While these little guys are delicious just like that-- they're also the perfect base for a ton of different additions...

a few of my favorite add-ins
- shredded cheese
- lemon rind, lemon juice & anise seed
- sugar and cinnamon

and if you're really feeling pro, reduce the amount of milk to 3/4 cup and roll them out and cut them with cookie cutters for more scone-like biscuits. perfect with soup, tea time or just to scarf when you get home from work...

enjoy, y'all! <-- am I allowed to say that?

xo, erika