anthropologie and wild things

Posted by katecotten / at 2:22 PM / / 0 comments

today, being inspired by shopping on everyones baby and wedding registries, i started scouring the web for cute home decor ideas i could use to spruce up the house. so, i decided to put together a few of my favorite decor items from one of my favorite stores. the always super vintage chic: anthropologie. enjoy!

another man's treasure lamp

i want it! i love the juxtaposition of the quirky scrolls

and the industrial masculine vibe.

arcadian garden rug

i think the colors in this rug are amazing.

i have no idea where i would put it. but in my dream land

this would go in my living room over dark hardwood floors.

the astrid chair

i adore the shape of this chair. its so awkward

and inviting all at the same time.

delta tumblers

these look like something my great grandmother had.

i dont know what my deal is lately, but if its vintage, its in.

king of the jungle jar

no idea why i love this so much. i think because

to me, its reminiscent of where the wild things are.

the corrigan chair

i think i love the androgynous look. its super chic

and looks like it belongs in a mans office.

forest canopy bed

my absolute favorite. i want this so bad i dream about it.

too bad its only six grand. guess i should go buy a lotto ticket.

ps: did you hear theres a "where the wild things are" movie coming out in october? call me a loser, but i am so there. dave and i already told ash and jefferson that we want to take noah! i have recently had the pleasure of rereading it with noah, and looking at the pictures in the book again and watching the movie trailer...it is astounding. the wild things look perfect. check out the trailer. you will be surprised at how kick ass it looks.

the ugly truth

Posted by katecotten / at 2:01 PM / / 0 comments

last night was a win on all account. we had such a blast. we double dated with jefferson and ashley. how could it not be awesome with true blood, alcoholic beverages, jorges, movie, starbucks, and driving aimlessly like high schoolers. ahh, to be young again.

go see the ugly truth. right now. do it. it was freakin hilarious. me and ash practically had to drag dave and jefferson kicking and screaming (or with promises of scotch and mexican food) and even they loved it. let me just tell you now. it is dirty and raunchy. way dirty and way raunchy - thus, hysterical. and i am with ash. there is one part in the movie where we were both laughing so hard we were gasping for air. i cannot remember the last time i laughed so hard i cried in a movie. it was amazing. plus, katherine heigl is adorable. and lets face it, gerard butler is not too hard to look at. but then again, i do have a teensy (and by teensy i mean major) crush on him. im just saying.

i figured as long as i am recommending movies, im sure most have seen it so far. but go see the hangover. hilarity will ensue from minute one until credits role. classic gen x movie. but amazingly hilarious none the less. i have to admit i even loved it more than anchorman, dodgeball, old school. all of those. plus, how can it not be amazing with a mike tyson cameo? dave was impressed to say the least.

also, again with the tv/movie theme of this post, we bought season one of weeds this weekend, and i think i am going to start watching it tonight if i can work up the courage. we saw the first few episodes ages ago, when it was freshly on tv. but we never stuck with it for some reason. i remember thinking it was funny. but with all the hype surrounding it, we caved and bought it. i hope its as good as promised.

Posted by katecotten / at 2:10 PM / / 0 comments

quick post! i thought of sharing some pictures of wedding ideas and getting opinions, but i would feel really pathetic when no one responded. so im gonna make this short and sweet.

it was a good weekend. albeit, i could use an extra days rest. but it was fun. friday we went to dos amigos and black gold (which totally blows). which was entertaining to say the least. between the rumors the guys started at the reunion, and drunken dancing. it was definitely an...experience.

saturday, we got up and went to cracker barrel with ash and jefferson and noah. which was of course, as usual...delicious. coffee and grits. total win. and then we popped on over to the new babies'r'us/toys'r'us. which was actually quite awesome. some of these new toys they have...man. i remember the days when it was trains, ninja turtles, and nerf guns. and then adorable noahbug passed out on the way back. super precious. and dave hates it when noahs super precious cause then i always bug him about when can we have a baby.

saturday night, babysat noah, and in the process of reading a house for a hermit crab, i accidently inspired the sentence "dada has crabs" whoops! sorry guys! and apparently, im an extra bad influence, ash said she can always tell when ive been around noah because he says "eek!" and "oh no!" a lot. yikes. better expand my vocabulary. anywho, then dave came over to hang out with me when he got off and we watched some ridiculous animal shows. made me cringe and laugh. untamed and uncut, i think was the name of the show, or something along those lines.

yesterday was daves brothers birthday. we went over to their parents and had ribs and such. it was neat. his dad is a great chef. always delicious meals when we go over there. lots of people over there too! noah and i spent the first half playing hide and seek in th guest bedroom. and then we played horseshoes (well, i chatted and watched the guys play horseshoes) and then we tailgated a bit. and then we went over and watched true blood and hung (my new tv obsessions!)

and today, date night! which of course, i am super looking forward to! especially since dave will be at the cox's ranch all weekend with the guys for his brothers bachelor party were they will be hunting, slaughtering, cooking, and eating god-knows-what and drinking more than most should consume in a year. riding horses, paint balling, and basically, creating drunken mayhem.

and on art note: the new painting almost finished painting. still needs some work. im not totally sold on it yet. and it needs a name.

good girls go bad...

Posted by katecotten / at 12:27 PM / / 0 comments

its thursday. which means its almost friday. which means its almost the weekend. in turn, im in a good mood. so i decided to share of my favorite things of the moment...

trapp candles: sexy cinnamon. different and way better than regular

old cinnamon. its a bit of a fall scent, but i am in love. they smell heavenly.

i know, i know. its the middle of summer. BUT I CANT HELP IT.

venti one pump mocha, please. delicious. my weakness.

im at starbucks nearly every day. damn you delicious caffeine!

the time traveler's wife. i figure since it is going to be made into

a movie, i should definitely read it first. i got it last night when we

went to b&n. im already addicted. seriously. its that good.

my super awesome target fringe flip-flops.

dave got them for me :) he loves my inner hippie.

i do have an intense love affair with all things retro.

and then theres cobra starship. and their new song with

leighton meester. "good girls go bad" is in my head nearly 24-7.

its a strong love/hate relationship.

tomorrow all the guys are in a golf tournament and last year dave and zeke were partners. and they were also the only team in the whole tournament who decided to dress for the occasion and be twins. so they wore matching black pants, boots, and polo shirts. they looked amazingly ridiculous. and this year, of course they have to top themselves. so they brainstormed all the past week and we went shopping last night. and then i had to spend hours late into the night perfecting their outfits for them. now, let me just say...its good. real good. they look awesome. awesomely horrible. and by awesomely horrible i mean completely pathetic and ridiculous. and i even snapped a pretty little pic. BUT, since its a "secret" i cannot share until tomorrow. but beware dear friends, youre in for a treat! ok fine, fine...the suspense is going to kill you? ill give you one hint: knickers.

and not that i dont completely adore my dear fiance. but dave didnt have to work last night because of the weather, and he totally #$%! my plans. but we did have a nice evening. i mean, how can it not be an awesome evening when i drop $70 at barnes & noble and i got starbucks :) but tonight, i am damned determined to get some things done! (if the time traveler's wife doesnt distract me) i still need to grocery shop, throw in some laundry, and finish my skeleton mermaid painting. plus...DONT LAUGH! so you think you can dance is on tonight :) and i still need to watch last nights so i know whats going on! wish me luck dear readers. and look forward to next week, theres gonna be a kick ass give-away.

ashley dawn just emailed me a copy of the midnight sun draft. and thats why i adore her. but seriously, its amazing. ive read it twice before. but for anyone else who has read twilight...if you dont know already, midnight sun it is the fifth installment of the series. but it is the twilight book just in edwards point of view. it is really, really amazing. i love reading it from both sides. and there are some awesome plot lines that you never expect. LOVE it. if anyone wants a copy, let me know and ill email it to you.

ariel, meet your demise.

Posted by katecotten / at 1:52 PM / / 0 comments

so heres the story. as most people can say, you find inspiration in the most bizarre places. i just happened to be watching tv and the little mermaid came on, and needless to say the next painting (about 60% complete thus far, hopefully ill finish it tonight) is a red headed mermaid...skeleton style. dont judge. i do not actually want to kill off ariel. i mean, c'mon, the little mermaid is classic disney! she just inspired me, so thats a compliment, right?

anywho, and for any of you who follow my twitter as well, already know, but this morning, there was the most ridiculous storm. i have to admit i was scared to death. and i LOVE storms, and rainy days. but the lightening was outta control. it stuck down less then 100 yards in front of the building here at work. i almost fell out of my chair i jumped so high. and then i was terrified to drive to meet zeke and dave for lunch because my car does not like puddles. and i dont like driving in storms because of all the assholes in big diesel trucks that like to run me off the road. but whatever, i flipped the finger, yelled out a few choice words, and successfully got to lunch. and after a bite of a hamburger company burger with some lousiana sauce, i was doing JUST fine.

in more exciting news, wedding planning is ACTUALLY starting to come under way. im pretty hyped. i wouldnt call it a traditional wedding because, well, dave and i are anything but traditional. but it will be classy and beautiful, and the location is one close to my heart. so wish us luck, were going to sit down tonight after work and hash out some details! and its all of our friends 10 year high school reunion, so a lot of our friends are coming in town for that. well, actually their reunion revolt i should say. their skipping the actual planned reunion to hold a reunion revolt in the bar in the same hotel. always a good idea, guys. so there will be a lot of loud, drunken, shenanigans this weekend, always something to look forward to.

in other news....a few of my favorite things on etsy....check it out, you wont be sorry.

tinkerbell ballet flats by spirocreations

i am coveting these. i want these in purple for my wedding shoes! seriously.

i want it! vintage octopus necklace by cosmicfirefly

is this not super kick ass? you know its awesome! Koro light by poaplum

owl candlesticks/bud vases by laurawallstaylor

ive already ordered two pair :) the robins egg blue and the celadon.

i love love LOVE them. (and so does dave!)

im also excited, because as soon as i get off work, im going to get me a pair of castros. i have wanted some for the LONGEST time. and dave just called and said they had some, but since i want to double check the size, im gonna run up there after work and make a purchase :) and then grocery shopping because i put it off yesterday and painted instead. auf weidersehn!

im baaack. clever title, huh?

Posted by katecotten / at 1:26 PM / / 0 comments

my oh my, what a hiatus.

but, im back dear readers. i know, i know...let the sighs of relief and applause commence!

lets see, nothing exciting to share from such a long break. i honestly, ::gasp:: just pretty much forgot about blogging. but im back with a vengeance! i will tell you all though, the jewelry making bizz has been put on the back burner. i missed the creative liberties and freedom that come with a blank canvas, acrylic paints, and new brushes. not that i dont love making the bracelets, but i can only do so much with a 1x1 inch wooden medallion. PLUS! i have been reinspired by all things macabre and day of the dead. so beware. but let me just fill you in on some facts and enlighten those that do not know, before everyone thinks im crazy and obsessed with death.

Wikipedia says: The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latinos (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. One of my favorite quotes about Dia de los Muertos..."Day of the Dead is not a careless or fearless confrontation of death. It is a moment to reflect upon one’s life and the cycle of life and death."

so as you can see...im definitely not sitting in a dark room, listening to fall out boy, trying to cut myself with fiskar scissors. quite the opposite! lately it has been a lot of me sitting on the floor watching season 1 of either gossip girl or true blood (watch it, i dare you) surrounding by a lot of paints, brushes, and canvases. and if im not painting im probably over at jefferson and ashleys loving on noah or playing board games. with starbucks, of course. nearly every time i see her we have to have starbucks. which, i am totally ok with. ANYWHO...here are three new canvases ive done in the last two weeks...sorry the pictures are shitty. theyre with my iphone and the colors are warped. ill be taking better pictures soon so i can post them up on etsy.

first, The Macabre Date. the picture is cropped a bit off.
but you get the idea. i am loving the neon colors.

second, so far untitled, but i am assuming, just "Dia de Los Muertos" or something about an altar. who knows. lets just leave it as untitled. im sad about this picture because in reality the colors are very rich, i adore it. this is going to be screen printed on tshirts, im hyped.

third, also untitled, because it is still in the works. i am currently lightening up the background and i think im going to change the color of the fish on the "cheeks" because its too close to the shells at the bottom. but still...a sneak peek.

also, in exciting news i am trying to convince dave to be a co-conspirator with me on a new etsy shop idea. im pretty hyped about it. and by new etsy shop idea, i mean a collaboration of the minds, he is an AMAZING painter for anyone who didnt know! and his art is realistic. he can take a photograph, and recreate it beautifully. i am in awe of him all the time, and this just adds to it. and i prefer to stick with my rudimentary pop-art-esque style. so were brainstorming right now. im really looking forward to our first project together. some of my most prized possessions are some pieces he did for me. including, a charcoal sketch of me, a quick pencil drawing he did of me while i was napping one day, and a glass etching of the two of us. i know, i know, im a lucky gal. ::swoon:: so keep an eye out, because with both of our "retro-vintage-skeleton-rock-indie-punk" taste, it is sure to be interesting!

ill blog again tomorrow at the latest, (our hours long monopoly game while watching the hangover last night means im gonna try and get in a cat nap this afternoon before i start working on the paintings) but i meant it when i said im back with a vengeance!

mrs. tiramisu

Posted by katecotten / at 7:03 PM / / 0 comments

im sorry i have been horrible at updating. ive been in the process of many, many projects. i feel like i am in constant overdrive. BUT, the good news coming from my busy ridiculous schedule is that i have a lot of good projects and cute stuff and jewelry on the way.

so be on the look out. its big. im hyped. in other news, i just switched over to TLC, and holy sh!t. theres this show called "i didnt know i was pregnant" and its all the same story all these crazy ladies dont understand what nausea, no menstral flow, gaining weight, crazy cravings, back pains means. so because theyre having "intense stomach pains coming in waves" they rush to the emergency room and OHMYGAH! youre pregnant! and a baby pops out. SERIUSLY PEOPLE!?

anywho. i just ate a piece of tiramisu. and oh wow. if i could marry an inanimate (and edible) object, i would totally marry it. just throwing that out there. i would gladly be Mrs. Tiramisu. yum.

beads&more and jumburitto....

Posted by katecotten / at 1:58 PM / / 0 comments

ok, so how lame am i? everyone is out of town, and dave is at work until eight, so as soon as i get off work (if this damn clock would quit DRAGGING on and on and on...) i am going to this little bead store here in odessa called Beads & More (if i can make it before they close at six) and i am going to get some amazingly cute things. i just know it. i need more berry beads. and i am looking for some awesome beads that are more of the spring colors than the dark jewel tones of fall. actually, odd enough, im totally craving some really awesome orange beads. not just bead, beads. but like FUNKY beads. something fun, im totally loving on all the spring colors. while i was in dallas my mom spoiled me a bit and i got this one really great tank top from old navy, and its inspired me more than i ever thought!

check out that adorable owl! i mean really, how can you not be in love? or maybe its just my weird obsession with owls that i seemed to have randomly inherit from my grandmother. or at least, thats what i blame it on. but im totally loving on the tank. and th green looks awesome with my super bright red hair. PLUS, i just have to brag this once, i look absolutely ADORABLE in this tank with my hair, and my new shorts, AND my new headband from missrubysue. its a TOTAL win on all accounts. i havent felt that cute in a LONG time. isnt funny how some things just do that to you?

anywho...its my new inspiration. im loving the color palette. so im going hunting for beads. and i am on a mission! plus, ive been toying around with the idea of bracelet "collections." like a series of bracelets with a mutual theme. you know what i mean... im not giving away my ideas yet, because honestly, i think theyre pretty dang good. but any thoughts? haha, im asking questions into thin air. im not even sure if anyone reads this thing. but, i like to think so, so dont rain on my parade, kay?

anywho. im totally digging on the collections idea, and i am uber hyped about it. im just not sure how well it will go over. PLUS, i just got in a few more orders for custom paintings for fathers day, which im hyped about. but those will take precedence over the jewelry for now, since theyre already orders on invoices.

but im looking forward to my slightly relaxing evening. i am going to beads and more and then going by jumburitto (dont judge me, monkeys!) ive been CRAVING a breakfast burrito/taquito from whataburger for AGES, but there is not a whataburger on my way to work and im not eating past 11 at night. (they only serve breakfast between 11 pm and 11am.) so since its right down the street, im going to jumburrito to get myself an egg and avacado breakfast burrito (again, dont judge! you cant knock it til you try it!) and then im going home to get comfy, put on ugly betty and plop myself down and start creating. but im not sure how much im going to do tonight considering its the 100TH EPISODE OF GREYS ANATOMY! dont hate. i hope they get married. because i swear to oprah, if something else happens and theres no wedding. im DONE. im SO tired of this on and off and on and off and happy and not speaking and back together and in love and then storming out on eachother. AT LEAST LET THEM GET MARRIED. although, not that my opinion counts for much, but since ellen pompeo is pregnant in real life, i think theyre gonna get married so they can write her pregnancy into the show. whatever, i can hope.

if i have time before ugly betty and greys ill take pics and share all the fun gems i get at beads and more! happy thursday, at least its almost the weekend!

dead & gone....

Posted by katecotten / at 12:56 PM / / 0 comments

ok, so again totally random, just like all my other posts, it has absolutely nothing to do with my jewelry or anything close. BUT, it is another one of my obsessions...



charlaine harris released yet another new book yesterday from her Sookie Stackhouse series. (the books the True Blood tv series on HBO are based off of.) dead and gone, its book number 9, i believe. and of course, im sure ive mentioned but if not...i read like a maniac. i read ALL the time. and i was just introduced to these books a few weeks ago. i read the first seven in a little less than two weeks, and a new one came out in april, and now the most recent came out ysterday. and im only three chapters in so far, but its already good enough 50 pages in to be totally feeding my addiction.


if you havent read these books/heard of them, i strongly suggest them. theyre awesome. i admit, theyre more vampire books with werewolves and weretigers and all that supernatural. but theres all this drama and romance and fight scenes and wars. seriously, all of the books are amazing, i think charlaine harris is an exceptional writer. in fact, when i was in dallas this past weekend i bought her other two series of books, the Lily Bard "Shakespeare" Series and the "Harper Connelly" series. i havent started them yet, but i have high hopes.


anywho, if youre looking for a fun, easy read. these are definitely the books. theyre so quick to read and fun, but so intense. but beware: the books are slightly addictive.


and just another random FYI: the true blood series season one comes out may 19th, and i think i may go buy it. ive never seen a single episode, but i love the books, so that means hopefully ill love the tv series too, right? im hoping!

paranormal state + intervention = odd dreams

Posted by katecotten / at 10:30 AM / / 0 comments

so dallas was awesome. i missed mi familia. it was so good to be home. we had a lot of fun. plus, its always a perk that my parents always spoil dave and i when we go visit. we went to canton and i got a lot of amazing beads. chunks of turquoise and awesome hand carved beads. im in love. dave got some sweet steak turner that looks kinda dangerous, but kick ass none the less. we found an awesome grill that we want... (hint-hint mom and dad: wedding present!) but they were all sold already. its HUGE. take a looksie:

its amazingly ginormous. you can lower the legs to use it as just a fire pit. or keep it raised to grill, and the actual grill area swivels (as you can see!) and it has that little basket at the top that swivels as well. so when you finish vegetables or to heat up some bread just turn it so its over the grill. or if you want to just keep it as a little rack for spices and what not, just turn it away from the grill. im in love. and dave is too. its AMAZING. and its so huge we could butterfly a longhorn and cook it on that thing! (good thing it comes in different sizes! i liked the medium one. but of course, dave wants the huge one. either way, its amazing.) but after canton we went to downtown dallas for a late lunch at campisi's (we want to have our rehearsal dinner there!) and we walked around farmers market and got all fresh vegetables for our cookout. it was delicious!

then on sunday dad and dave went and played golf and mom and i shopped in highland village. it was fun we go some flip-flops and headbands and some cute shorts. im super hyped. im stylin' and profilin' if i do say so myself. and OH MY, i got my missrubysue headband that i ordered in this weekend. and i am very proudly reppin' it today. its ADORABLE. ive already made a wish list of four more that i want. (scroll down to my post about the headpieces. :) its so funny how by just wearing the headband today with my jeans and tank top has made me feel infinitely cuter and sassier. i think every woman should own one. im serious. and after a day of golf/shopping, we met my parents best friends for dinner at the blue goose. it was SO good. (and so our their swirl margaritas!) and then we left there to meet my friends ryon and adam for drinks at cheddars so we could see them and catch up for a bit. i love those boys.


and then yesterday before we left town we met my dad for lunch, and then we went to the bookstore and i got my "nephew" lots of fun books. since hes finally getting to that age. its awesome. then while we were driving back to odessa, we got stopped by a cop, and got chased by another. it was strange. but no tickets! just a warning for no front license plate. lame.

yesterday when we got back to odessa, we went stopped by our best friends house to drop off books for baby noah and we sat and watch paranormal state and intervention. warning: do not watch these show directly before bed. last night i kept having dreams that i was living in a haunted bus. the only thing in the bus was bikinis and boxed wine and some crazy ghost that was slurring and screeching like a howler monkey kept trying to put me in a stroller and telling me 4 to 6. and if anyone else out there watched those two shows last night, then you know how hilarious, and yet, disturbing this is.

i think i need therapy. i always have the strangest dreams. but, now back to reality after an incredible weekend. i think i need a vacation from my vacation...isnt that always how it is though?