Jotting It Down | 003

image

My in-laws have swooped by so I finally have a few minutes to sit down alone with my laptop. There are so many things I wanted to write about over the weekend, but as per normal - we were pretty busy so I just couldn’t find the time. 

On Saturday it was rainy and cold. It felt like the harshness of fall was really settling in. We bundled up the kids and packed on our layers to do some chores outside. Adam and his friends recently felled a couple of dead trees and our neighbor used his splitter to cut them down for us. We ended up with two six foot wide, five foot tall stacks of wood for our fireplace this winter. Blah blah sounds boring but I loved ever second of it. The kids took turns in the wagon or playing in the backseat of the SUV while we loaded and unloaded (the trees were probably 150 yards from the house - way too far for a hundred wheel barrow loads. 

As much as I love getting dressed up (more on that soon), I really really love doing yard work. Mowing the lawn was always a favorite chore of mine growing up and this year we’ve pretty much just tried to keep our grass cut and an eye on the small gardens we planted. Now we’re starting to get a little more serious about what we can grow to eat so we have about 15 fruit trees were planting this week along with garlic that needs to over winter for a harvest next summer. I’m really hoping to do a large plot (1000 sq ft?) for flowers to sell at the weekend markets. We’re also going to add chickens in the spring. I could go on and on and on but I’ll spare you. I feel so good about working alongside Adam to get the job done. I’m realizing more and more that I can be both glamorous at times and at one with nature at others. Sometimes both at once. They are nor mutually exclusive.

So after all that chilly outside work we made a great big fire and spent the afternoon listening to music and hanging out as a family. Saturday nights are so different from what they were five years ago, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

What I Wore | Leopard + Leather

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

WhatIWore: This outfit is the result of my chance at a morning to “get ready” while I had no idea what to wear. I saw this blouse in my hall closet and haven’t worn it in a long time, so I went with an outfit kind of like this. Sometimes I just go for the archives when I don’t feel particularly inspired (see more ideas below!) I’m still loving those $23 Crafted by Lee jeans, but because of the high stretch content I do find myself washing them regularly. But at that price, they’re pretty great (and have the feel of leggings, so I can be on the floor with kids or doing chores or whatever and completely comfortable!

When: October 24, 2017

What:
Shades: Karen Walker
Blouse: Old
Leather Jacket: MICHAEL Michael Kors (similar)
Jeans: Crafted by Lee (online only)
Boots: Clarks (from last season, similar here)

Where: All Over Town

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

leopard, leather, Easy Outfit Idea

            

             

Jotting It Down | 002

image

I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I really don’t care about clothing the way I used to. Today when I walked into my bedroom, it was like a tornado had come through. I thought to myself “one thing at a time” but as I began picking up hangers and sorting through things, I felt like I didn’t even want to put anything back into my closet. I’ve assigned these things sentimental or physical value and I’ve felt for so long like I need to keep it because it’s from J.Crew or it was $200 or (hardest of all) it’s vintage. 

I just don’t know if I have the courage to actually get rid of these things. I’ll be honest - there are a handful of pieces I’ve sold in my instagram shop that I regret letting go of. Yet, things are just things. Clothing seems to carry a deeper weight of importance in framing who we are, than say, a tea cup or throw pillow or whatever.  

Ok so I slept on it and I realize that the reason I feel so disconnected to some of this stuff is because my life has changed so much since it first became a part of me. Five years ago I had just bought my first house, didn’t have any kids, was riding high on my blog as a business and styling outfits day in and day out was what I had made into my job. Now my job is different. I get paid in smiles and I wuve yous. So of course I’m not the same person (PEOPLE CHANGE!) and it makes sense that I teeter totter between wanting a fresh start that outwardly vibes with who I am now and holding onto the person I used to be via my closet. 

I don’t know. Today’s a new day. Maybe I’ll go through a bin of stuff I haven’t hung up and finally decide to pass it on to a new home. I love the photos you guys send me of stuff you’ve bought from me by the way. Especially the handmade and vintage pieces. So keep sending ‘em! 

Anyway, hope everyone has a great morning and afternoon and Halloween weekend. I still haven’t made the kids costumes yet. Felix is easy - he’s going to be a fireman and wear his rain jacket and boots with khaki cargo pants and a black tee (I need to iron on his firefighter patch). Bea is going to be… drumrolll please… a bee. She’s going to have a black onesie with yellow stripes, a set of wings I’ve gotta whip together today and a headband with antennae. I don’t know if I’ll dress up yet. Adam was going to wear his bee suit to carry Bea around and I thought I might be a dalmatian to go with Felix. Let’s just see how the day goes… 

DIY | Farmhouse Autumnal Wreath

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

One of the things I love doing with the change in seasons is swapping out the faux floral wreaths I have in my home and on my front door. I made this one a while back and never got around to blogging about it. Today’s the day! If you saw my wildflower wreath I posted this summer, these instructions are the same!

Although I love bright foliage on the trees, I tend to go for more harvest tones for my wreath materials. I saw these groupings of what look like maybe persimmons and small pomegranates and supplemented it with some faux eucalyptus. 

Here’s what you need to create this wreath:

  • wire wreath base
  • florist wire
  • wire cutters
  • assorted foliage

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

STEP ONE | Trim Your Materials

I like to cut the larger groupings down into smaller stems so I can rearrange them into little bouquets before I place them on the base.

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

STEP TWO | Create Small Bouquets

To ensure the foliage is evenly spread through the wreath, I divide my materials and make little bundles that I will wire on next!

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

STEP THREE | Affix Bouquets to Wreath

Using your florist wire, start wrapping on the small bouquets, layering subsequent bundles slightly over to cover wire. Continue around entire base until your wreath is complete!

Autumn Wreath, Harvest Wreath, Wreath DIY

Jessica Quirk Farmhouse