Top Five: ways to wear nature

Emi Jorge, Oyster Shell Vannal Clutch 

So we all know that decking yourself out in minerals is pretty amazing, but here are some different ways to incorporate nature in to your fly wardrobe...

Made and Found: Foraged Tassels

I love bringing the outside in. The fact that December means we're allowed to put a six foot noble fir in our living rooms is pretty much my favorite thing ever...

Made and Found: Foraged Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Now that I've said that, I'm probably going to completely negate the sentiment with the following statement: I've never been much of a Thanksgiving person. I always considered it one of those holidays manufactured to celebrate the subjugation of Native Americans as well as our rampant consumer culture. Oh yeah, I'm that type. Plus, for the longest time, I hated turkey. So you can imagine how fun I was at Thanksgiving dinner!

Insta-sista

See this gargantuan ice cream cone? I won it for answering a sea life question on a cruise of Deception Pass. The question: What ocean-dweller has the largest eyes on earth? I went back and forth for 15 seconds or so about whether it was a Colossal or Giant Squid, but I decided to go with Giant Squid because everyone isn't aware there's a difference between the two and I wasn't sure how much of a stickler the guide would be. (Don't worry, Catherine has already informed me how this story makes me sound like a know-it-all jerk.) 

Turns out, the guide's nametag doesn't read Cameron: Naturalist for nothing because he was like, "That's right! The largest eyes belong to the Colossal Squid, which has eyes the size of dinner plates." Dang it! I mean, he still gave me the win, even after I pointed out that technically, I didn't answer the question correctly. (See! Know-it-all weirdo!) Let this be a lesson to us all: always go with your gut, especially when ice cream is involved...

Previously, in Christine's life...

When I last wrote, I was getting ready to move from Spokane to Tacoma. Remember how I was shirking my blogging duties so much? Well, that move happened. This picture was my last view of Spokane as I drove off down the interstate. Oh, it makes me a little sad looking at it now!

I do miss my Spokane apartment and people quite a bit, but I don't regret the move one bit. Sometimes you just need a change...even if that change isn't so much of a change as it is a leap back to your life at twenty when you lived with your mom and were trying to figure things out...

DIY: Fern watercolor

As you may remember from my post last week, Monika recently turned 30 (and boys can also be jerks). As part of sister Monika's present, I wanted to paint her a little outdoors that she could bring indoors. Cue the ferns!

Make: Pressed Plants

One of the many wonderful perks about being home is sifting through all the awesome estate sale finds from the past year. This one is courtesy of Christine and is super amazing. Yes, that's right, an entire box of nature pressings from the Tacoma area in 1965!

We believe a school project may have inspired the collector to start cataloging these specimens. Whatever the case, we are excited to enjoy them now...

DIY: Fern stencil pillow

So I had this really great step-by-step tutorial on how to make a pillow using a fern. HAD. Then my computer broke and the folks at Apple are having the trickiest time fixing it. Because of all of this, I lost every one of my pictures. Luckily, I instagram enough and texted Christine some updates. I gathered some sword ferns from the Evergreen Forest when Nick and I went mushroom hunting...

Home & Away: Browne's Addition

I think it's generally agreed that we Nicolai sisters like autumn best. Admittedly, it can be tough to stay true to this brisk, colorful season...especially when you're caught in the melancholy grip of winter and all you do is pine and wish for spring. Sigh. But we try to keep faithful with thoughts of leaves crunching beneath our boots and pumpkins and fires and lightweight jackets against crisp breezes. And oh! Oh, it's time for knitted hats and scarves and fingerless gloves and cowls! Yes, this is the time of year when we gather all the lovely bits of fall in order that we keep the autumnal fires burning bright in our hearts all year long. Here are some of my neighborhood's seasonal treasures...

Home & Away: Tacoma

It just so happens, Tacoma counts as both home and away. As I've said before and I'll say again and again until I move back to the west side of the state, my poor little heart is split in half when it comes to Spokane vs. Tacoma. I've got one chamber assigned to the west and one assigned to the east. So here are a few of my favorite things from Tacoma...

insta-sista

Much of my life in the past couple weeks has consisted of watching Matilda sit in sunny windows. I think,
like me, Matilda has noticed the change in the weather and is trying to soak up as much of the late
summer sun as felinely possible. Valiant effort, girly. Keep up the good work...

Lately in my life...

**According to instagram

Dead crow outside my house

Brought to you by the letters P & M.

This is a detail from Nomade, a painted stainless steel sculpture by Spanish artist, Jaume Plensa, installed in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, IA. I wandered through the park with my friends Dan & Rachel on a rainy afternoon. Rachel and I were both wearing canvas shoes--fools!--and while I can't speak for Rachel, my shoes are now the grossest things ever. Sorry for any shoe ruination you may have experienced, Rachel. Anyway, while standing inside this sculpture and reading all the angsty teenager graffiti, Rachel spotted something. She has such sharp eyes...

The wind smelled of wildflowers...

I went up to Mt. Rainier on a week ago with my mom. The wildflowers were all in bloom, and being neither of us
 had been hiking at this particular time, we decided to go for it. We hiked all around Paradise. Every breath you
 took smelled of sweet wild flowers. It was truly magical...

Capitol of the Midwest

This is the Iowa state capitol in Des Moines. I was visiting this weekend for a wedding and had occasion to wander the capitol and its grounds. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. The building is beautiful, and there are free guided tours. I couldn't take one--because I was about to be late for a wedding--but I did hear a little something about
 tours including the dome. The dome! Oh man, next time for sure. One of the wedding guests, a Des Moines native (biased much?), told me that their capitol is the most beautiful in America. Still, I'm pretty close to convinced...

I live in a land the Praying Mantis love.

Recently, Ben and I started seeing these little guys around town. Praying mantises! This is a new experience for me, and I'm super-excited. Side-note: I have a cricket in my office (which is, apparently, good luck?). I don't exactly want to hurt it, but I also don't want it in residence any longer. I'm thinking about bringing in a praying mantis to do the vile deed. I would, of course, catch the insect assassin and release it back in to the wilds of Los Angeles. As for the mantis above? It was the first one we saw, just hanging around our hibiscus tree while I was succulenting in the garden beds...

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Found this sweet vintage clutch at the Goodwill.

Vintage fabric for 50 cents at an estate sale.

instaweek

Maya and I went walking a few weeks ago and came across a pile of old gravestones. Some were broken, some were mostly pristine. It was a mystery! But we picked up a couple chunks to use as bookends, and we made some tentative plans to return with my truck and load up as many gravestones as possible for the most amazing patio gravestone mosaic. I need to check the weight limits on my truck bed and get back there before someone discovers our secret cache!

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disco light

first tomatoes

Lincoln City shells

One thing I've always loved about the ocean is the little bit I get to take home with me and cherish all
those days that I'm landlocked. On my recent trip to Lincoln City I found these ocean floor treasures!