Gram Dump: Feb 2015

      I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this year is going by in a blur. It's only halfway through March but I feel like so much has happened this year! 

       I'm still so proud of Sparrow for being such a champ during our move and she really seems to enjoy our new space. She gets to birdwatch, and there's plenty of high windows and shelves for her to perch on. 

      I won't miss all the snow we had but that doesn't mean I hated it. We got 2 really nice snows days which we took long walks on. I love cities during a heavy snow. The most peaceful and calm they'll ever be.

      Got to make time for a nice brunch here and there. And a trip to Ikea right afterwards doesn't hurt either :) We got a ton of stuff there and it helped finish up a lot of things I was trying to accomplish in the new apartment. 

      My mom's dog Janey. I try to visit once a month but I didn't have a chance in February. At least next time the weather will be warmer. 

      I went to NYC with a friend to see a Broadway show, but I was a little more excited for some nerdier interests of mine. 

And finally, this happened this past weekend in March, but we adopted a doggy! His name is Laddie and he's such a sweetheart. Very good with Sparrow, not house trained but no accidents yet, and generally a calm and loving doggy friend. He defiantly requires much more attention than an independent cat does, but it's nice to go on walks and be more active. Like I said lots happening so far this year. Probably much more to come.

Keychain Redo

      Sometimes those little details in daily life really get forgotten about. It might not be super important, but it can be nice to take a moment to address them. In this case it was my keys. Though they have been added too throughout the past few years, I was never taking anything away, and what I was left with was a cluttered mess of old rings with no purpose, and a bunch of old rewards cards I never used. So I deciced to start fresh.

      You can see how bulky it really is here as well. Can you believe I was having a hard time getting my apartment keys out? And this time of the year, I want to get in my apartment as fast as possible, and not fumble in the cold for what feels like forever. 

      Basically I took everything off that was not needed.I kept the keyring of rewards cards in a pocket in my purse, just in case. These are the only things I use every single day. (aside from the spare car key to my boyfriend's car, but that is also important). 

      But of course you need some sort of keyring to hold them altogether. I've been on the lookout since having this idea in mind, and I found this keychain on a trip to NYC. It's cute and fun, but also simple and stylish so it worked perfectly. 

      Much lighter! I noticed the difference in weight right away. Also less noisy, and much easier to grab the key I need with no hassle.

      Again, it's not a huge change or accomplishment, but it's a nice way to freshen up something you use everyday. It's almost like cleaning up a room, just on a much smaller scale. :)

Easy DIY: Swear Jar

      Sometimes you just gotta slap something together and call it a day. I still don't really have a work space at the moment, but I hate to be unproductive on my days off. I've also been so uninspired lately as well. I went thru some of my old bookmarks and found something I've been meaning to make, and just so happened to have the materials needed.

      A swear jar! Haha, personally I don't use swear words and Christopher rarely curses either. This is just something to collect change in, with a little humor added to it.

      I think it's pretty obvious how to make this! I had some nice vinyl alphabet stickers and a cool jar on hand and that's all it took. 

      Now anytime we have visitors I'm sure they might be shocked at how many times we've had to add to the jar. ;) 

Hectic Holly Days

      I had the most eventful whirlwind of a holiday weekend. Between having a snow day before Thanksgiving, to going home, back to work, back home for a baby shower, to a xmas gift show, and back to work again, I'm certainly glad to have a chance to sit and reflect. I have a very nice Nikon camera that I took tons of photos with, but I think I captured some sweet moments with my iPhone as well. 

Finding time to decorate on the Snow Day.

Lunch feels more special on a snow day, no?

Making crafts too!

Sparrow always enjoys when we can stay home with her. (more treats!)

Home :)

Snail rolls!

A Thanksgiving mantel I threw together for my mom.

Being home means time spent with my baby cats.

Managed to squeeze in some time at Christmas Village. It was FREEZING. 

My convoluted plan to make it all work out.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday! Now to do it all again at Christmas! Oy vey :)

Quick & Easy Halloween Decor Tips

      Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. So why did it take me half the month to finally decorate? I think with the colder weather my hibernation habits are kicking in. Sleeping in is my vice and I cannot kick it. Anyways, I didn't buy anything new this year, other than a hanging paper bat. So I tried being creative and walked around the apartment to try and come up with something. Here's the before of my stairway mantel. 

And here is the after. 

      Though I do have a box of Halloween goodies I can dig out every year, there are a bunch of things I added that weren't strictly  'Halloween items'.

      I scanned my bookshelf's for creepy looking covers and titles, found a good selection, and then stacked them according to size. If you're not like me, and don't have the beginnings of a personal library to work with, you can easily run to a thrift store and pick up some books on the cheap. 

      The David Bowie skull is a DIY I did just for fun earlier in the year, and decided he could share in the holiday spirt. DIY from A Beautiful Mess here.  

     The 5-headed dragon is an incense holder that was living on a bookshelf. After grabbing him, I also scattered some rubber dragons I had gotten for a photo project around the area. If you have some old melted candles, they can add a spooky mood to the setting, so don't chuck them, save them in your Halloween stash. The goblin mask was from a Halloween costume a few years ago. 

      That extra large pumpkin bucket is one of my favorite finds. He was at Target last year, but I didn't see them bring him back for this season. The sneaky mouse in the corner was also a bookshelf find. 

As for the rest of the stairwell/hallway, I filled it with the extra decorations in my stash, as well as some baby pumpkins. Those are a great, cheap way to fill in space and create a great autumn vibe. 

      If you have any great photos that fit the theme in anyway, nows the time to show them off. If you can, choose a frame that compliments a certain color found in the photo. 

      And don't forget the dollar store is a great place to score things. The vase and the black rose both came from there. And another Nightmare before Christmas character joins the other side of the windows. 

      That's what I managed to throw together this year. With more time and effort, I'd really go the extra mile and make my entire space feel spooky and festive. I'm sure we all feel that way. I hope this inspires any last minute decorations for those who need a little push! Happy Hauntings!

Wearing Stuff: Simplicity

Summer is my favorite season for many reasons, but I think one might be how easy it is to throw something cute on. I live in shorts during the hot months, because they're so comfy, and so easy to make different looks with. I know this outfit is super basic, but that's not always a bad thing. I had also just gotten this new bag for my birthday so that made it a little more 'put together'. 

This was only a few weeks ago when I was on a trip to Kure Beach, NC. With the weather cooling down now, it just makes me wish I was still taking walks in the breezy beach air. I love autumn, and I'll embrace it, but not until it is official! We still have a week of summer left!

I also took advantage of the toy machines outside the local grocery store. Don't forget about those! I still get as excited about them as I did when I was little. They have some great scores sometimes, like these Adventure Time slap bracelets. It might be junk, but it feels like a treat. I'm big on bracelets, and the cheaper the better because they wear out quick since I never take them off. 

I have some more outfits from this trip to share, and then maybe I'll get back into the present and focus on more timely choices. Hopefully doing some stereotypical fall activities will inspire me. Hayride anyone?

Hey There

Hello from Yellow Calico! Hopefully I'll be posting some good stuff shortly, I have a bunch of ideas planned. So stay tuned ;)

As for a short introduction, on the right we have myself, Jackie (Yellow) and the cutie on the left is Sparrow (Calico). I'll be using this blog as a creative outlet, for my diy projects, my outfits, and basic lifestyle updates like traveling, and fun stuff to do. I have a degree in Photography so hopefully you'll enjoy my images because that's most of the fun for me. Thanks for reading, peace!