Etsy Weddings

Hi, friends!  I'm happy to finally be able to share that I have been working on some new hair tutorials for the new Etsy Weddings page!  

It was a lot of fun and I'm happy to be a little part of it!  If you are interested, you can view them here and here.  Have a lovely Monday!!

Happy Weekend!

We are headed out of town for the weekend to see more family and attend a wedding!

I hope you all have a marvelous weekend!  <3

The Evolution of a Logo

I've gotten so many positive comments on my new logo, I thought I would talk a little more about it and take you through the process of how it came to be.

At the end of last year, my sweet friend Beca emailed me a photo of a painting she did (of me) just for fun.  It was a lovely little watercolor piece that stuck in the back of my mind until I started my blog makeover obsession early this year.  I'm not really a design gal... I know what I like and what I don't like, but when it comes to designing a site, I'm not the person for the job.  So, as I was racking my brain for ideas and trying to decide a design "direction", I contacted Beca about doing a custom portrait for the new blog.  Beca agreed, and we had our first bit of logo and color inspiration.  Here's Beca's portrait:

While I loved the painting, I was still unsure of how to use it as/in a logo.  I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow, talked to a few friends about it, and spent many hours obsessing.  Here's how I thought to use it:

(This was a very rough mock-up.)  I took out the face and placed the hair around the name of the blog in hopes of creating a logo or header for the new design.  Though I liked the concept of the hair without a distinct face, I still wasn't satisfied with the results I was coming up with.  At this point I knew it was time to bring in an outside source.  Enter: Jill.

Jill's blog Lune Vintage always has an amazing design and a beautiful, clean aesthetic.  I have much, MUCH respect for Jill.  I emailed her and told her about my predicament, and included the original painting and the rough design.  I asked her to work some magic, and the end result?  Killer.

Nope.  I can't even...
Folks, this is the perfect example of why you SHOULD bring in an outside source for designy stuff (unless, of course, you are a designer).  Jill took a lovely painting and a very rough idea and turned it into my favorite, favorite logo... ever.  It was everything I wanted and more.

This isn't a campaign for everyone to contact Jill for logo design, because that's not the point at all.   Here's the point:  if you are struggling with design stuff, find someone you respect and get some input.  Sometimes it's hard to take yourself outside of your notebook of ideas to see what potential there is.  Beca and Jill helped make my blog something I'm so proud to show off to anyone!  

Weekly Wears: Ringmaster

Once upon a time, I talked about my childhood dreams of being in the circus.  When I got a glimpse of this circus tent print dress from my lovely friend Vanessa (aka the Velvet Bird), I pre-ordered it.
This dress is so perfect.  It's swingy in all the right places, thick enough to be a proper Spring/Summer dress, and the obvious: IT'S COVERED IN CIRCUS TENTS!

Dress: The Velvet Bird;  Hat: Target;  Necklace: borrowed from Elsie;  Shoes: Dolce Vita from Marshall's;  Nail Polish: Essie- ole caliente & tart deco

Can I just brag on Vanessa for a sec?  Yes, I do love the girl, but setting my friendship feelings aside, the quality of this dress is so good.  I feel like there is often a risk involved in buying handmade because some things feel... well... handmade.  This dress looks professionally made and the skirt is even lined!  This is exciting to a girl who wears a polyester slip under most of her dresses throughout the summer.  Anyway, I'm very proud of that lady.  She's making very good things.

Recipe Time: Blackberry Coconut Crumble Muffins

Hi everybody! I'm Megan, and I'm the blogger behind Freckled Italian.

My blog is a place where I share what it's like to be a running, cooking, photo-taking graduate student with dreams of a literary life. I'm here today to share a new muffin recipe with you! I recently cut grains, dairy, and sugar out of my diet, so I'm sure you can imagine how difficult that makes something like baking. But it's not impossible!

Freckled Italian's Paleo Blackberry Coconut Crumble Muffins

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Blue Diamond coconut almond milk

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut

About half of a 6 ounce package fresh blackberries

1. Mix the (melted) coconut oil, eggs, honey, and salt together.
2. Add coconut flour, baking powder, and mix. Stir in coconut almond milk.

3. Fold blackberries into the batter. I cut some in half but soon decided that I liked the idea of whole ones better.

4. Add the shredded coconut and stir a final time.

5. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins. I used mini ones because I left my regular sized ones at a friend's house!

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. 

Just keep an eye on them. They'll be done when they're golden brown and firm to the touch.

************************************************

Thank you so much, Megan, for this recipe!  Blackberries are an absolute favorite in this house!

If you get a chance, stop by Megan's blog and give her a little hello.  She is sweet, adorable, AND she has a really fun pen pal project going on right now!  I'm so happy to have her as a sponsor this month!

Music Monday: The Black Keys

Happy Monday!


The Black Keys

Sponsor In May

If you are interested in sponsoring the Skunkboy blog for the month of May, please check out my sponsor page for more information or email sponsorskunkboy@gmail.com with any questions.  Now is a good time to grab a spot on the pretty new layout before sponsorship rates go up in June! 

Weekend Roundup

Like I said before, there are so many lovely things happening around the internet this week!  Here are a few of my favorites:

I did not know you could dye leather!  I love this tutorial on dyeing leather from the Friendly Fox.

This take on silhouettes from the Manzanita blog is so cute!

Abi makes some extremely lovely dresses and she has just released some new pieces in her Vanilla and Lace shop.

I loved these tips for hanging things on your wall from Smile and Wave.

This skirt/jumper just came back in stock at ModCloth and I think I might need to snatch it up!! Also, if you are interested you can view my lovelist here.

And last but not least, I have another hair tutorial up on A Beautiful Mess!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  We have the funeral tomorrow, so I'm sure it will be a little rough for us, but we are all continuing to stick together to support each other.  My mom has been a champ through all of this, really.  She acknowledges the pain she is going through, but refuses to let it consume her.  I have a lot of respect for that.  Thank you again for all of the thoughts and prayers.  They really mean so much.   

Weekly Wears: Peter Pan

One of the most wonderful things in life is freshly dyed hair.  Am I right?  It just feels so good.

Dress: c/o Lulu's;  Scarf: vintage;  Knee highs: Target;  Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens;  Purse: DIY (here);  Daisy ring: Cookoorikoo;  Bracelet: c/o Poshlocket

I probably wear these shoes more than I should, but I can't help it.  They are just so darn pretty.

In an attempt to get all caught up here on the blog, I'll be back soon with a weekend round up.  There are so many lovely things happening around the internet lately!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new layout!  I am SO in love with it!  It's not that I didn't love my old design (because I DID), but I was ready for a change.  This change has exceeded any expectations of loveliness I could have had.  First of all, the pretty painting was done by my dear friend Beca (of Tumbleweeds) and then tweaked just a bit.  The amazing Jill (of Lune) helped me customize a template by Katrina (of Pugly Pixel).  For reference, here's a screenshot of my old design:

She served me so well.  Thursday did this blog design for me, which was my first real blog design.  I will always have a special place in my heart for it.  (Thank goodness I remembered to take a screen shot!)

I hope you will be patient with me as I adjust and add a few things here and there.  I'm still a novice when it comes to this stuff, so I'm sure there will be much trial and error.  Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I have a dot com now!  You can find me at skunkboyblog.com.  That makes me feel so fancy!

Alright, now it's time for me to play a game of catch-up on emails and blog posts.  Wish me luck!

Weekly Wears: Soda Pop Shop

Have you ever had a dress that just did not suit you?  Well, I received this vintage white dress from the lovely Jenn from Sadie Wade quite a while ago, and no matter how many times I put it on, it just didn't feel like me.  I sorta felt like I was dressed as a nurse.  Okay... I felt like I was dressed as a sexy nurse.  Blame it on growing up with parents who listened to Motley Crue religiously (many of you remember Dr. Feelgood, I'm sure).  Maybe it was all in my head, but whatever the case, I was not comfortable in it at all.  I decided to change it up a little, and here's what I came up with:

The first thing I knew I needed to do was change the color.  I didn't want anything too dark, so I bought some RIT dye in Petal Pink.  Dyeing the dress was a little tricky because it's polyester.  That's the thing about polyester, you never know how it's going to take color.  I was very pleased with the resulting shade of pink.

Next I added a little embellishment to the pockets just for fun.  This was a bit of vintage trim from my stash.

Here she is in all her glory:

Dress: c/o Sadie Wade;  Bow tie: gift from The Velvet Bird;  Belt: Target;  Tights: c/o We Love Colors;  Shoes: c/o Lotta from Stockholm
 
So, maybe I kinda look like I work at a soda pop shop or an ice cream parlor, but that doesn't bother me at all.  I really enjoy a bit of novelty... it was just that particular novelty that I couldn't get into.  ;)

Have a lovely day.  xoxo Katie

P.S.  You might begin to see some changes around the blog in the next couple of days.  Don't be alarmed, this blog is about to get a whole lot prettier.  :)

Tattoo Tuesday

I'm just popping in to let you know that you can find me over on Sometimes Sweet today for Tattoo Tuesday.  I adore Danielle and her lovely blog, and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to share a little bit about my tattoos over there. 

Have an amazing day.  <3  xoxo Katie

Thank You.

As many of you already know, my step dad (who has been with my mom since I was 9 or 10) passed away Saturday night.  This is something personal enough that I would typically keep it to myself, but a panicked phone call from my mom at the beginning of Saturday's events left me stunned, and in a freaked out moment I tweeted about it. 

I was overwhelmed with an outpouring of tweets and emails and texts, and I really just wanted to say thanks.  Thanks for your prayers and thanks for the love.  It is a difficult situation for everyone, but my heart just aches for my mom.  I can't even imagine the pain she's going through.

If it runs across your mind, my mom could use a little prayer here and there.  When this whirlwind of funeral arrangements and out-of-town company passes, we will all go back to our daily lives.  She and my youngest brother will be the ones with the big hole left in their everyday.

Friday Roundup

Here's a roundup of some of the things I've been loving this week!

Bathing suits!  I haven't bought a new one in a couple/few years, but I've been seeing so many lovely ones that I may need to bite the bullet this year!

Left: Anthropologie   Right: J. Crew (found via Lulu Letty)

This adorable shop called Rare Indeed.

There's never a shortage of adorable dresses to browse.

Left: ModCloth   Right: Dear Creatures

This week was filled with thrifted treasures, dinner and coffee with friends (more of that to come tonight), and some special behind-the-scenes stuff I'll get to share more about next week.  Thank you to everyone who ordered from my Reloved shop.  There are still some things left for purchase and more will be coming soon!

Here's a little peek at my week via Instagram:

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!!  xoxo Katie

Weekly Wears: The Great Hunt

I have been searching for the perfect (for me) maxi dress for what seems like forever.  I've been wanting something with a lovely print, something cotton for summer, and something with full coverage in the front (no triangles).  Welp, it's been a journey, but I've found it.  This dress meets my requirements and scores big in the pretty category!

Dress: vintage from The Kissing Tree Vintage on Ebay;  Denim jacket: really old;  Shoes: Saltwater Sandals;  Sunglasses: Target;  Spyglass Necklace: c/o Unexpected Expectancy;  Amethyst Necklace: Camp and Quarry (gift from Elsie);  Scarf: c/o Three Bird Nest

The girls and I all got Saltwater sandals for Easter.  Picking a color for each one of us took forever because there are so many good ones, but I'm seriously loving them.  They were a little tricky because the little sizes run large, but my size and Hope's size were pretty true to size.  Ordering the next pair will be easier now that I know... and yes, there will be a next pair.  ;)

Tell me, have you conquered any great clothing searches lately?  It feels so good!

xoxo Katie

New Hair Post and Winners!

I have a new hair post up over on A Beautiful Mess!  This is one of my go-to hairstyles!

Also, I've added some more items and dropped some prices in my Reloved shop!

 

And, finally... here are the Sleepy King giveaway winners!

Fletcher:

 Embroidered piece:

Wing hair accessory:

Congrats!  If you are a winner please send me an email at skunkboycreatures@yahoo.com.

Happy Thursday!  xoxo Katie