I was so excited to discover the Halloween shorts and shirt pajama sets at Em & Sprout! I love Halloween pajamas but usually they’re only suitable for crisp Fall nights. These on the other hand…are perfect for Summer and faux Fall. Last weekend it was 86 degrees in Portland (yes, 86).  I still wanted to dress festive so I decided to style my pajamas as a romper! I honestly don’t know how this idea didn’t come to me sooner! These pajamas are too cute to just sleep in! If you do sleep in them (or wear them out) they’re SO soft and comfy!! P.S. It’s always spooky season at Em & Sprout so you can count on them for spooky cuteness year round!!

Stay Spooky!

Photography by Keri Eisal

I was originally going to publish a Halloween blog post this weekend but…I’ve been working on this one for A WHILE and it seemed appropriate too! I’ve said it once and I’ll say again, ALL of the artists who inspire me creatively are constantly evolving, in fact they seem to evolve so much over the years that they have ERAS. If you don’t believe me, then you’re clearly not a Taylor Swift fan (or a Gaga fan or a My Chemical Romance fan). In honor of the Eras Tour movie, in theaters now, I thought it would be fun to share all of my Eras (and Eras Tour) inspired looks in order by Era! Of course there’s a Midnights finale because the looks were just EPIC!! Don’t blame me (see what I did there?) I know Fearless and Speak Now are missing but I’ll work on it! In my defense, I spent A LOT of time hand gluing jewels this year. Side note, the other day I overheard someone say “Taylor Swift ruined the NFL.” If you can “ruin” something that’s been around for over a hundred years, that’s power in my book. Love it or hate it.

All photos taken by Little Photo Fox EXCEPT for the Eras Tour Folklore look. That photo was taken by my Mom!

With the shorter days, changing leaves and cooler temps, I find myself gravitating towards all things delightfully dark and cozy. The new Fall releases from Nightwork Candle check all boxes for me, these candles couldn’t capture my fall moods more perfectly! Murder XOXO smells like a fall dream! Think maple sugar, chai and cozy spice. The candle’s name evokes film noir vibes and inspired me to channel my inner femme fatal. Persephone Burns awakened my dark alter ego with its spicy floral and tobacco scent. The candle’s name and fragrance had me dreaming of tragedies depicted in Baroque works of art. I truly believe inspiration is everywhere and it can definitely be found in a candle. All of the high quality candles from Nightwork are made from a coconut soy wax blend. They’re also vegan, paraffin free and cruelty free which I love! 

Thank you to Nightwork Candle for gifting me their new fall candles. 

Photography by Keri Eisal

Every spooky season I try to add a few more unique pieces to my spooky wardrobe collection. I say “a few pieces,” because I really do try to be selective. As much as I want to buy it all, I can’t…So I’ve really gotten better at acquiring pieces I absolutely can’t live without. This year, two of the pieces I added to my spooky style wardrobe were from Spirit Jersey! I’m obsessed with the fit, quality and of course the spooky cute vibes! I’m wearing size unisex XS in both of these jerseys for a more fitted yet relaxed fit. These jerseys couldn’t be more perfect, Halloween meets on trend is the best combination !  The Trick or Treat jersey will be your go-to top for all spooky season festivities and I guarantee you’ll want to wear the Future Ghost jersey year round. Whether you wear with leggings, jeans or skirts the styling possibilities with these jerseys are endless! 

Happy Spooky Season!

Paid partnership with Spirit Jersey. 

Ok, I wasn’t planning on a blog post for this but I couldn’t resist! The set up was too cute and with spooky season right around the corner it seemed fitting. I bought this coffin cake pan last spooky season at Home Goods and I’ve been dying to use it (no pun intended). I’m not much of a cook but I love baking! Since it’s always been kinda of therapeutic for me, I definitely didn’t mind baking my own birthday cake the other day . 

This homemade black frosting is my absolute favorite! The key to making the perfect black frosting is black cocoa. Black food coloring just doesn’t get the frosting black enough. Although I love how a red velvet cake looks with black frosting, I was really tempted to try the black velvet cake mix I saw at Michael’s. Next time!

If you’re looking for super easy spooky treats to make, these bat Oreos are about as easy as it gets! I was so excited to find the edible wandering eyes at Michael’s the other day so I had make them. I saw the idea on Pinterest and thought it was genius!

Let me know in the comments if you want to see more spooky baking on the blog.

Stay spooky, everyone!

Shop the post here!

It’s my birthday!!! I love creating content that high school me would also love and appreciate. Hopefully she’d say, “you’ve still got it and you’re still being true to yourself.” They say your 30s are all about rediscovering what you loved as a 13 year old and doing it again without the judgement and shame. As I enter the last year of my 30s I can honestly say I’ve done that and I’m so glad because your 30s can feel a lot like adolescence sometimes. There’s still pressure to fit into a certain mold, there’s still pressure to be someone you’re not to move up the ranks and if you’re not doing what everyone else is doing people still can’t relate to you. Luckily, you’re still given the choice to stay true to yourself. Last year of my 30’s conclusion? If I can’t get to where I want to be by being myself then where am I really going?

I guess I never want to act my age, what’s my age again?

P.S. There were SO many products to link in this post that I just linked everything here!

Photography by Little Photo Fox

Whoever said “black is not a summer color” was severely mistaken. Typically I’m not all that tempted by clothes in stores during the warmer months, but this summer has been a different story. When your favorite color and print (black and white stripes) is available in light weight pieces for summer, you stock up! When we first moved to Portland, we loved the summers because they were really mild compared to summers in North Carolina and Illinois. Over the last 5 years though, Portland summers have grown increasingly hotter. Just this week it hit 105 degrees, so I’ve been in search of light weight comfy summer clothes more than ever. These t-shirt dresses from H&M have proven to be great for lounging and running errands. I’ve already purchased 3 this summer (an all black, light pink and the striped one I’m wearing I’m wearing in this post). I’m wearing size XS and it’s roomy without being baggy. I just hang them to dry instead of putting them in the dryer.

Shop my look here !
Photography by Little Photo Fox

When your photographer tells you “you look like a tropical spider,” you most definitely say “thank you, that’s the sweetest compliment!”🕷️ I bought this pink and red web print wrap dress around Valoween and knew instantly I had to style it for summer. I love adding pieces to my wardrobe where the styling opportunities are endless! This wrap dress can be worn as a dress, a glamorous swim coverup or a duster. I’m so glad I bought it before it sold out. Now that I’ve checked this styling option off my list, I’m looking forward to all the other ways I can wear it! I was so nervous when Vanessa and I were taking a few of these shots because I didn’t want the mesh to get caught on anything. There is nothing worse than wearing something for the first time and ruining it. I feel like a collector when it comes to my favorite small business brands, so I’m really careful when wearing their pieces. Typically when things sell out from these shops they’re not restocked so that’s what gets me in trouble lol. Ok, maybe there’s nothing worse than buyer’s remorse. Either way, ruining something the first time you wear it is right up there with buyers remorse. 

Stay spooky!

Wax Poetic wrap dress from Dela Deville’s Vintage / velvet bodysuit from Amazon / Floral hairpiece made by me / Wig from Annabelle’s Wigs UK (I’m wearing the Milena and I LOVE it)

Photography by Vanessa Wolf Creative

Thanks to my husband and Ancestry.com I’ve learned that most of my ancestral family tree leads straight to France. My Maternal Grandfather’s side took a bit longer to trace though…To my surprise, it led to Ispwich, Mass and the Salem Witch Trials before ending up in England. We found my 9th Great Grandfather’s handwritten testimony defending his neighbor against accusations of witchcraft. I recognized his neighbor’s name immediately because I knew her fate.

I’ve always been fascinated by Salem and the witch hysteria that broke out in 1692. Blame it on seeing Hocus Pocus at a really young age, but visiting Salem has always been on my list. Last year right before Christmas my husband and I went to Boston and I practically begged him for a Salem day trip. It wasn’t until we got back home that I learned about my ancestral connection to Witch City. Now I don’t know whether to blame my life long fascination with Salem on the Sanderson Sisters or my family tree. What I do know is this, if I were alive during that time in history I most definitely would have been accused of witchcraft and it would’ve had nothing to do with the occult.

Stay true to yourself.

H&M dress / Hat from Vixen by Mitcheline Pitt / Earrings from Mod with Love
Photography by Keri E!

It’s July, 90 degrees and Halloween decorations are hitting the stores. I’m not complaining, this post couldn’t be more appropriate and I finally get to buy home decor again! I stay spooky year round so ghosts, bats, spider webs and skeletons are always in season at my house. 

Don’t let the swimsuit fool you though, as much as I love sunshine you won’t find me out tanning. If I’m not in the shade on a hot sunny day, I’m usually inside reading or watching paranormal investigation shows. I guess you could say I really embrace my inner glamour ghoul during the summer months. The older I get the more I avoid the sun. I swear I’m not a vampire, I’m just even more grateful for hats, umbrellas and indoor spin classes this time of year. 

Stay spooky!

Swim suit from Unique Vintage/ Wig from Annabelle’s Wigs UK (I’m wearing the Milena and I love it) / Umbrella from Witchwood Bags / Bat wing sunglasses from La Femme En Noir (they come in a coffin case!)

Photography by Vanessa Wolfe Creative