Shopping Inspiration - Honey Bees

I've always had a special place in my heart for bees. Funny, because things that buzz around and have stingers generally don't tickle my fancy (example: my hatred for wasps). But oh how I love to watch a lazy bee flit from flower to flower. Not the mention, the honeycomb pattern is perfect.

On a recent road trip I read The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and found myself mentally highlighting so many quotes - here's a couple of my favorites...

“After you get stung, you can't get unstung
no matter how much you whine about it.” 

“women made the best beekeepers 'cause they have
a special ability built into them to love creatures that sting.” 

“At night I would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles around the room, making that propeller sound, a high-pitched zzzzzz that hummed along my skin. I watched their wings shining like bits of chrome in the dark and felt the longing build in my chest. The way those bees flew, not even looking for a flower, just flying for the feel of the wind, split my heart down its seam.” 

All items for sale on Etsy. Sources from top left: Gold Bumble Bee Bobby Pin Set, hand embroidered and stamped mini clasp purse, Wooden honeycomb necklace, Hand Embroidered Bee Necklace on Honeycomb, Gold Honey Bee Juice Glass, Oh Honey bow tie, Honey bee honeycomb necklace.

Obsession : Hair

I've got to get something off my chest. I don't understand why most women are so attached to their hair. Crying when three inches are trimmed off, hissy fits when the tone doesn't come out "right", needing it long to feel like a "woman". I'm not one to understand this phenomenon. I've never been attached to my hair. It grows out of my head. I cut it off and more grows in its place. I bleach it until it falls out (well, I used to do that - my stylist has, thankfully, taken over the bleaching), perfect a shade of blonde and then have red put over it, spend months growing out my bangs and then get them again, get bored and put purple in it... It's just hair!

And yeah, I've had a couple experiences where I panicked about my drastic hair change. Once right after high school when I got my first pixie/faux hawk and I got a lot of rude comments about it, and more recently when I bleached my whole head and people could not let it go. But now I see that the only reason I freaked was because all the negative (and sometimes even positive) attention was making me self conscious. I love change. Change makes me happy. Every time I feel like my life is boring or out of control, I change my hair. It helps! I am in control of it! And, quite frankly, I rock a lot of hair colors and styles.

“A woman who cuts her hair, is about to change her life.” - from the movie Coco Before Chanel

In honor of this venting and realization, I went through Facebook and made a collage of a bunch of hair styles I've had over the past few years. It's odd to see them all together like this. Unfortunately, I was late to the Facebook/photograph yourself all the time train and don't have any pictures of my high school Manic Panic days, but I think you get the idea.

What's your favorite hair style you've ever had? Have you ever craved a drastic change?

InstaBITTY

1.) My brother being a stud muffin on one of his motorcycles.

2.) I usually keep the cheesy love stuff to a minimum, but I had to share this little message Christopher left for me.

3.) Babysitting is exhausting.

4.) My hair does interesting things...

5.) Thrifted Betsey Johnson ring!

6.) Some dressing rooms have the best lighting...how do they do it?

7.) Bo is not a huge fan of baths.

8.) New shades!

9.) Coconut chocolate chunk ice cream for lunch.

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Is anyone else on Instagram 24/7? (Please don't say it's just me.) Follow me! I always need new people's photos to scan through while I'm wasting time at my desk or on my way to work.

King Jereth's Mistress

King Jereth's Mistress by bitty603 featuring costume jewelry

I created this board on Polyvore in honor of my favorite movie of all time playing on an outdoor screen in town tomorrow night. I am so excited! I've got a group of girls going and we are already planning snacks and deciding how early to plant our lawn chairs to make sure we get a good spot for the movie. Something about watching a cult classic like this with a group of people who love it too is so fun. Also, I've got a soft spot for drive in movies and this is pretty close. I'm even bringing a friend who has never seen the movie before. She's either going to love or hate it. I feel like even if she doesn't get the movie, she'll be entertained by the rest of us making fools out of ourselves and singing the songs with David Bowie.

Anybody a Labyrinth fan? Did you get all my weird little references in the outfit and accessories?

Just Beginning.

I just got back from a week away in South Carolina with some family. It was a good time to relax and escape from drama at home. It got me brainstorming and thinking....I have so many things in mind for this little blog - things are just starting to come together. I have a new template being created by an amazing designer, I'm trying to decide on weekly/monthly features, and I'm hoping to have some scheduled posts ready so I'm not falling behind. Until I sort myself out, expect sporadic postings. I'm so appreciative for those of you that have been reading, emailing, and commenting so far! I have a feeling we will get along just fine!

Excellent Movie Monday: Funny Face

Funny Face (1957)

Plot: A fashion photographer (Astaire) in search of an intellectual backdrop for a magazine shoot takes over a bookstore and meets a sales girl (Hepburn). While developing the photos, he decides that her face is perfect for modeling and persuades her to sign a contract and come to Paris.

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire

Funny Face is one of my top three favorite Audrey Hepburn films. For those of you who don't know, Audrey is my ultimate style icon. Although I tend to lean toward more color and eccentric clothing and I can't pull off a cigarette pant because of my dreaded cankles, I always go back to her for inspiration. Every single time. The woman was a goddess. But, back to the film. Funny Face has an amazing soundtrack. If you ever see a girl screaming "Bonjour Paris!" in a horrible french accent from her '87 Volkswagen, don't be alarmed. It's just me. The movie also has phenomenal costumes, great scenery (Paris!), and a love story to boot. What more could a girl want? One of the best scenes:

Days of Peace & Harmony - Tibetan Monk Visit

Through work, I was able to be a part of an event celebrating the visit of a group of monks to New Hampshire. A lot of my family ended up tagging along and we had an amazing experience! These men have the most beautiful ways of thinking. Meeting them made me feel more enlightened and optimistic about life. I thought I'd post some of my photos from my day! 

Throughout their visit, the monks created this mandala out of colored sand. It was so incredibly intricate! At the end of their visit, they dismantled it and poured the sand into the pond as a reminder that material things do not matter and the only thing permanent in life is impermanence. 

A table of offerings was created in the room with the mandala around a photo of His Holiness The Dalai Lama. 

We participated in a stone painting activity. These two mean "peace" and "om".

They performed a Snow Lion dance in costume. I had some younger family members with me who seemed a little unsure of the costume, but it was very cool to see! the eyelids even blinked.

Some of my family, Chris, and myself. 

A ceremony was held to dismantle the mandala. Afterwards, they chanted and led us down to the pond where they poured the sand into the water to bless the village. 

As we were leaving, I saw one monk sitting alone on the hill. My favorite pictures from the day!

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The True Meaning of Life:

"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, Something useful, with our lives. If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life."

His Holiness The Dalai Lama