Modish

outfitted

outfitted: week 9, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

The floral shirt is inspired by today's color me happy post! And these high-waisted jeans are an experiment for me, but I've been on the hunt for a pair to see if I like them and I found these at Buffalo Exchange for $20, so... We'll see if they come into regular rotation. They do make me feel awfully legalicious tho!

blouse- Ralph Lauren, thrifted
camisole- vintage, Margaret & Oliver's
bracelets- (that you can't really see) vintage bakelite
jeans- Acne Jeans, thrifted
shoes- vintage, thrifted

Color Me Happy in Bright Florals

Florals are back with a vengeance this season in bold and bright colors, and I love it so. You can wear them all spring and summer long, but I especially like them right now, in this moment where spring is trying its darnedest to emerge but winter still has a (dreary, cold) grip on things. Wearing a vibrant, fun floral is like saying to nature, "I'm ready when you are, dear spring! Hope to see you soon!"

Missy Dress by Broken Doll Clothing

Sweetshrub Top at Spool No. 72

Camille Headband by Livesavvy

Dorris pocketbook by bink & boo

Ella Necklace by Minna

vintage floral skirt at Persphone Vintage

Saturday Tea photo by Alice B Gardens

1950's floral pumps at Marvita13

Sponsor Spotlight: Showpony

Showpony is a wonderful line of eco-friendly screen printed textiles and accessories designed by Emma Henderson. Her designs are whimsical, fun and feminine, from her totes to her hand-printed fabric. See the whole range of goods over in her etsy shop or main website (for UK customers.) Thanks for supporting Modish, Emma! 

Eco-Friendly Find: Oxford Heaven

When I was a little girl, I loved to play dress up. I was always a fairy princess or something like that, prancing around the house in sequins and tulle. Now, I'm a "grown-up," living in a (self-inflicted) world of muted colors and earth tones. But apparently there is a little bit of that princess still inside, because I am in love with these upcycled "princess" shoes from Oxford Heaven.

Oxford Heaven takes used and vintage shoes and refashions them into fabulous creations right out of Marie Antoinette. They are perfect for weddings or fancy-dress parties, but I can also see wearing a pair of these to liven up the office, or just with jeans and a t-shirt to feel like a little urban princess for the day.

There's more to see in her Etsy shop, and if you're up for a lot of eye candy, check out her flickr portfolio of past creations. And the very best part, besides the fact that these are gorgeous and upcycled? They are very reasonably priced.

 Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Sprout Studio

Jenifer over at Sprout Studio is collaborating with some of my favorite artists this year with a great new series of necklaces! Each month, she releases two new necklace designs featuring the artwork of some amazing talents- already up so far for 2010 has been Mati Rose, Jennifer Judd-McGee & Kate Durkin. And throughout the coming months you'll see new releases featuring artwork by Lisa Congdon, Lisa Solomon, Andrea Jenkins and many more!

And psst: Sprout Studio is celebrating their 6th year in business this year! 6 years is an especially long time for us indie folk, so to celebrate Jenifer is offering 25% off orders in her shop with the code "six", plus free shipping all thruout March. Here's to six more years, Jenifer- keep up the good work!

Inspiration A-Z: E is for Embrace & Elliott Smith

First, press play: Placeholder :: Elliott Smith

There are few moments in life that a hug can't make better. But an "embrace" is more than just a hug- it's acceptance, acknowledgement, enthusiasm, affection, belief. This post is a reminder to embrace yourself, flaws and all. To embrace other people's differences. And to make sure you embrace your loved ones as often as you get the chance. This post is my warm hug to all of you readers to let you know I care about you, and appreciate you. Thank you for reading Modish and I hope you have a happy week! 

:: by Alena Chendler

:: by Sean Mark Lee

:: by Dany Molokoma 

:: by Jessie Roth

:: vintage photo, via signs and wonders 

:: by brain hear lung gut

:: by celeste photography

 
:: by Steven Beckly

:: by Laura Gommans

:: by Kornyx

:: by poveralice

:: by welcome, ghosts

:: via weheartit

:: vintage photo found by 16 sparrows

:: by Matias Troncoso

:: by silly woman

:: by Olalla U 

:: by 11nightmares

:: by ciuky

:: by MDP

:: by miami ziess

Take a Walk With Me

When we went swinging last weekend we took a walk around the neighborhood and found spring popping up all around us! So, to lead you into the weekend, I'd love for you to take a walk with me around the Mount Tabor neighborhood in Portland!

This neighborhood holds a special place in our hearts for a very special reason....to be revealed soon! I hope you all have a lovely weekend and get some nice taking-a-walk weather of your own, wherever you are! 

<3 jena

Stumbling {Soil} Blocks

Remember how excited I was about Gayla Trail writing a new book? Well, Grow Great Grub is now available and I've got a copy to give away! Leave a comment about your absolute favorite edible to grow (or if you haven't tried to grow anything then what you're fantasizing about growing). Next Friday I'll pick a winner at random from the comments.  Thank you for all the wonderful comments from last week, the lucky winner picked by Random NumberGenerator was Commenter # 14: Jessica McCoskey who has a strong kinship to air plants herself!

With all these freebies have I bribed you to keep reading? Well, it's finally time; 'tis the season to get dirty, fa la la la la, la la la la. . .and dirty I did! This past week there were a few afternoons of warm-enough weather, so with baby in tow, I spent a total of an hour making my seed starting mixture and blocking up some dirt. Blocking up some dirt, you say? Yep, soil blocking. Martha does it, the Dervaes do it, even the New Organic Gardener does it.

In the past I've started seeds in toilet paper rolls, peat pots, peat pellets, dixie cups, reused plant pots with good seed starting mix, and more. This year I'm trying a new approach: soil blocking. I hadn't heard of soil blocking until I stumbled across Anarchy in the Garden, then I was instantly smitten! {Both with the blog and the seed starting method.} Off to Path of Freedom I went, bought my very own soil blocker (after looking at DIY versions online and deciding gardening with a baby on the hip meant a get-out-of-jail-free card for a DIY-able purchase), and soon it was in my grubby little hands. 

Rather than go into all the details that are posted in numerous places all over the internet, I'll summarize my experience so you can skip a few of the stumbling {soil} blocks. You'll get a recipe with your blocker and it calls for buckets of ingredients. BUCKETS. One bucket of dirt is usually enough for my seed starts so the idea of many buckets was scary, but I was in for the experience of it all. Here are my thoughts on that: unless you want to start a farm, a nursery, or no less than 278,349 seeds, get a bag of organic seed starter mix and, only if it needs it, dress it up with some fertilizer and trace nutrients. Otherwise you'll spend a small fortune on enough dirt to start way too many seedlings to reasonably care for. The recipe ends up heavy and awkward for one person and takes a lot to get it all mixed well. You can see how much dirt I have for blocking: a big ol' storage tote full.

On the upside, once the soil was mixed, moistened and made into what looks like it could be the next Lego phenomenon, I made a whole lot of blocks really quickly. Soil blocking is crazily satisfying, like making mud pies. As far as I can tell it's also totally worth the effort, though that will be determined later on as the seeds come up and there is watering to do.Will they hold up to watering, will they collapse without a cup or outer structure? Will my seeds like my mix of ingredients?

I really like the idea of not using plastic pots or peat cups to start my seeds, so the block maker is right up my alley. And once all the soil is mixed you'll want to block until you can't block no mo', then you get to plant your seeds. Give 'em a light blanket of dirt, warmth, light,  love, and maybe a little Otis Redding, then the good stuff happens.

Resources: Watch Martha block

You can also get soil blockers from Johnny's Seeds

If you want to see the way I made my dirt, I've got a post over here.

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.

Sponsor Spotlight: Manic Trout

Manic Trout has a really great collection of jewelry that's fun, colorful and stylish for all seasons. And Modish readers get a special discount: enter promo code "MTLovesModish" at checkout for 20% off your order! Thanks for supporting Modish, Sierra! {SHOP}

oufitted

oufitted: week 9, originally uploaded by jena:rator.

Because it's Thursday, and the sun is out...

tee- poketo
cardigan- vintage (from Ohio Knitting Mills)
necklaces- handmade, from the Amazon
shorts- thrifted, UO brand pants I cut into shorts
tights- Target probably?
shoes- Steve Madden