Lifestyle blog? (+ cats)

I have been thinking a lot about direction— what I want to accomplish, things I want to learn, and goals I want to achieve during 2012.

Focusing on the things in my life that I want to improve has led to a lot of time pondering this blog’s content/purpose. Now, I’m not going to get all internet existentialist right now, but along with straightening things out in my head, I really wanted to let readers know what they can expect to find here.

I noticed my 2012 goals (which I will share in the near future!) pretty much all revolve around 5 things:

• baking 
• personal style 
• bookmaking/art 
• handmade items
• bicycles/cycling

Which obviously leads to the content of my blog. The above items are the things I love most in life (besides cats) and so they are naturally what appear on KCS  the most (besides cats).

Sometimes I get the feeling this blog could come off as “scattered” or “random” to people who don’t know me (yet). Which is HELLOo0O— MOST OF THE WORLD AND PROBABLY YOU. But the only thing to counteract that would be to leave something in the above list out. Or to start separate sites for each of my interests (HECK NO).

But when I think about it, I don’t want a baking blog, I just like to bake. I don’t want to only post outfits, I just want to figure out what combination of clothes makes me feel put together like myself. And I don’t wanna tell people how to ride their bike or make books.

I’m a Fashion Consultant (trying to shop entirely thrift/secondhand) that commutes 6 miles to work by bike and loves to bake, sew, & upcycle things for friends in her spare time and hopes to someday make a living by making people books. 

And I love kittens. Is that SO hard to understand?

I mean, if you’re going to have a personal site, it should reflect the person you are. That is why I am not going to force myself to be like my favorite bloggers, to leave out truly meaningful interests, or to worry about adhering to any one category blog. All my passions are somehow deeply intertwined and I like sharing them with people.

I like putting information out there that I have looked for in hopes of someone like me finding it. I think just about anyone could read a post or two of mine and find it interesting (maybe that’s just conceited? I don’t really know). . .  You can call it eclectic. Call it haphazard. Call it why-are-you-doing-something-so-trivial-who-is-ever-going-to-read-that.

I am just going to keep on doing it (that’s what she said) and see where it takes me. Cause I gotta tell ya, it’s been a lot of fun so far! If you like some of the stuff I do, please feel free to follow along and introduce yourself, I’ve already met some great people and I can’t wait to meet more. See you in the new year!

portrait of me by Hope Collins

Merry Christmas to All

Although the holidays can be stressful, this time of year is so refreshing for me. With both a new year and another birthday right around the corner, I am constantly inspired and thinking about how I can become a better person. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family supporting my goals and the future I envision for myself. I can’t wait to get started on all the plans I have for 2012, but first I’m going to try to slow down just a little bit so we can all just have ourselves a merry little Christmas ♥

A Few of My Favorite Things

1. I have always loved brown paper (and newspaper) wrapped packages, but this hand-drawn gift wrap takes the love to a whole new level!
2. Although I usually avoid orange, I am head over heels for this cat print dress!

3. This poster for a hypothetical match between two of my all time favorite tv show characters is cracking me up:

4. This vintage Italian mosaic brooch is so charming. I’d pin it to coats for a pop of color or wear it on a gold chain with pretty spring dresses.

5. This handmade book of words we don’t normally use is incredible:

6. This Houndstooth Shoe Diy is so inspiring!

Maroon Madness

Head to Toe:

hair bow: made by me
necklace, shirt, skirt, shoes: thrifted
jewel ring & tights: from my mom
reversible belt: Kohl’s
large ring: F21

I have been super jealous ever since Nick thrifted this shirt, so I finally decided to borrow it from his closet to play dress up. This outfit is my first attempt at color blocking (and I would be seriously lying if I didn’t mention that it was inspired by Bianca who is not only a total babe but has one of the best blog names ever!).

Most days I intentionally avoid same on same color action, but I decided to reach into my maroon arsenal and embrace it. At first I kind of felt school girl vibes from the ensemble, so I decided to tone it down with the granny loafers. I am pretty happy I stepped outside my comfort zone, this day and outfit were too fun.

1982 Motobecane Jubile Sport

This summer while I was in Gatlinburg, I was searching around for a new bike. I found this vintage Motobecane and instantly fell in love. Since I was 215 miles away, Nick went to check it out for me because we couldn’t tell much about it from the pictures. *The plan* was to go see if it was my size and then call me so we could talk about it, but next thing I know he sent me a picture message of a gorgeous bicycle that said, “Say hello to your new bike! It’s in great condition, rides well, and is the perfect size for you.”  It was very romantic . . . except I had to wait like 2 weeks to ride it! Just kidding, it was well worth the wait =]
Meet Nessie! Besides the mismatched tires and the (not my taste) grip tape, she was perfect. I planned to keep her all original, but I soon discovered that I felt clumsy and awkward with gears after riding fixed for so long. Although incredibly fast and smooth, I absolutely could not ride comfortably since it was setup as a racing bike. So after much debate, I decided to convert ole Nessie.

A new stem (the old one was way too long for me), my old risers, & one wheel set later, and she is looking & riding pretty fine! After checking the frame and doing some research, I am positive she is a 1982 model. I found a few twin bikes around the web— even another conversion. I also got excited when someone on a forum described the color as, “a light bluish green color–I’d call it toothpaste.” How perfect is that?

Nessie originally came from Chicago, where the previous owner used her as a racing bike. She is now used for my work commutes and also for lots of fun. If anyone out there has a 1982 Motobecane Jubile Sport please contact me! I’d love to see your setup or link to your photos. Happy riding everyone, stay warm this winter!