octo-obsessed

I recently attended a company picnic at the Zoo, and while I saw a lot of cool things (fighting tigers! pettable stingrays! an improbable number of Duck Dynasty t-shirts!), what most inspired me was watching the octopus climb across the glass of its tank. You might not know this, but I totally love octopuses. They're weird and a little bit creepy, and so so cool.

So I whipped up a little Polyvore set, in case you'd like to bring some of the creepy coolness of our eight-legged ocean friends into your style or home:

tentacular spectacular by ficklekitsch 

Fabulous, right? I'm deeply in love with that scarf, and wouldn't the morning be better if you were sipping your "wake up" beverage out of such a bright and tentacley mug? (Fun fact: mine is water! I don't drink coffee.) The totebag is a straight up cute version of the octopus, and I really like the pseudo-Victorian vibe I get from the rug. It would be a great way to add a little bit of off-kilter class to a space.

Have you ever found style inspiration in the animal kingdom? Would you decorate with tentacles or does it all just look like so much kalamari to you? ...mmmm, kalamari.

summer style: bright color and bold pattern

It may not be an original style concept, but I don't care. My summer wardrobe for this year is all about bright colors and bold patterns - I've even dyed my hair a brighter shade!

In the past, I really haven't been much for pattern or even especially bright colors. I tend to gravitate towards blacks/grays and jewel or autumnal tones, and wear a lot of solids or occasionally "classic" patterns (windowpane, pinstripe houndstooth). But for some reason, when I was shopping for my new summer outfits I was seriously feeling like getting my peacock on. Everything I tried out was bright and cheery and I loved it!

And I've been getting way more compliments on my outfits than usual, so I guess the world digs a little peacock action! When you've got a wild pattern, it says "Look at me" - and if you feel like you're rocking it, you're glad it does! I've been feeling a lot more confident in my style lately...like I've reached the point finally where I have enough pieces in my wardrobe and enough accessories that I'm putting together looks I'm really happy with almost every day. (Of course, that combined with a blogging drought - a lot of that was due to my failing computer, but I have a new one now so I'm jumping back in the saddle!)

In addition to these dresses, I bought two more day-appropriate dresses from Target including my very first maxi dress (what can I say, in the summer I like to have my legs free!), but my wardrobe still isn't quite complete. I don't have any sandals, so I'll need to make a jaunt to Marshall's or DSW to make sure that when the heat really turns it up my feet will be able to breathe.

Just between you and me, when I'm strutting down the street in these, I definitely have RuPaul's "Glamazon" going through my head. Let's all werq it out - dance party at the end of the post! (Warning: not entirely SFW!)

summertime (and the livin's easy)

It's finally summer! Which means it's super hot in my apartment...hooray? Whatever - at this point in the summer, it's all such a welcome change after winter that I'm happy to deal with a stuffy apartment now and then. That's what fans are for!

Hello, blog! Long time no see! As you may have heard in the previous paragraph, the weather in Wisconsin is finally getting warm and, believe it or not, I've been doing things. Occasionally even outside-things! Still, I miss blogging and have made a goal to make it part of my schedule again. If I have time to watch Shark Tank, then I have time to write a blog post.

There are a couple cool things I've been doing lately - I'm really enjoying my new job, and it just happens to both put me in touch with a lot of great things going on around the area and sometimes we even do fun things as an office. For example: this Thursday we went on a cruise down the river as a staff outing!

I'd actually never been on a boat in the Milwaukee River; I went on a similar sort of trek in Chicago, but it was great to see the skyline I know and love from a new perspective! Plus, floating down the river, enjoying fancy appetizers in the warm sun instead of being at my desk? That was pretty awesome too.

And I went to Bay View Gallery Night, where I strolled the streets, saw cool art, and ate some chips. It wasn't as fun as it could have been, since I didn't end up connecting with the people I was planning to meet there, but it was still pretty cool. I didn't get too many pictures of the art because I was busy looking at it and wrangling a purse, my phone, and a cup, but trust me - there was some great stuff! My city is awesome.

Plus, cross stitching! Having a new hobby is fun! I've always had crafty urges, but a hard time actually finding a project I could stick with. This is my second cross stitch, and I think I may have found my craft! I have a bunch of ideas for new projects. My roomie is already worried that we'll run out of space for me to put my projects...I intend to bring that concern closer to reality!

That's what I've been up to! I'll try to have more fashion/home/all that good stuff content coming soon - what have you been up to at the start of summer?