Kitten Alert! A Kitten for Every Mood-ish

I have had one of those weeks where it just goes by in a whirl! I was traveling for work earlier this week, did an overnight installation (ugh) and then traveled back only to have more unpacking to do, class then here I am, wondering where my week went! I have had blog posts pending just haven't put the finishing touches on them as of yet so in the meantime, I thought I would cover one of my more favorite topics, KITTENS. For the range of moods/situations I have had this week, I thought I would highlight kittens that I think have represented said moods/situations/fictional situations. Don't you think that is an interesting idea? haha and yes, I have included pictures of said kittens. KITTENS!

*Note: For the sake of this article, as with all cat related posts on Prim and Propah, when I refer to kittens, I refer to all manner of cat. Kittens that are young, kittens that are big, kittens that eat macaroni and kittens that are sometimes referred to as "wild" cats.

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Blog Better Boston Style Summit

 

This past Saturday, I attended the Blog Better Boston Style Summit in the Boston.com offices, which I assure you was a real treat (not just the literal kind, re: cupcakes). Not only was I looking forward to learning tons of great tips to make Prim and Propah a better blog but I was also looking forward to seeing some of my Boston blogger pals in the flesh. Some ladies I had met before and were super excited to see again and others, I had yet to meet in real life. Any way you slice it, as much as this was a day to learn it was also a day to kibitz with my ladies. I had such a fun day and hope that everyone enjoyed their day as much as I did.

Photo by Elissa of Style-Wire

#BostonStrong and How You Can Contribute

Last week, I don't have to tell any of you, there were some pretty horrific events to hit the Boston marathon and the city of Boston. I can tell you, as someone who has lived in this general area for nearly her entire life, that I can't remember another instance in time where I think we, as a region, felt so directly affected by violence. I have been personally moved by the stories I have been hearing of those affected really directly. I thought I would recap some of my favorite ways to contribute, all of which I have donated to... so I can honestly say that these are what I would recommend.

The One Fund

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Menino worked on the formation of The One Fund Boston, the purpose of which is to raise money to help those families most affected by the tragic events that unfolded during the Boston Marathon.

Apparel Support

Why not wear your support while also giving money towards the cause. You know I love shopping for charity and this is as great a reason as any. I happened to have just ordered the Life is Good Love Boston tee in Sky blue and can't wait to wear my support for Boston. Boston Strong T-shirt, donations to the Greg Hill Foundation, Adidas Boston Stands as One, 100% of the proceeds going to The One Fund Boston, Life is Good Love Boston Tee, 100% of the proceeds going to The One Fund Boston.

Individual Fundraisers

There are also so many personal stories about those who had suffered injuries or those who lost loved ones in the bombings. Besides The One Fund, there are also families doing individual fundraising for their medical bills, for surgeries and therapy. For instance, a fellow Boston Blogger, Alyssa of Ruffle and Curl, was directly affected by the bombings. Her sister was injured and has undergone surgeries since the events last week. You can see their family's fundraising page here, which is raising funds for all of Brittany's medical bills.

Also, as always, it is a great idea to donate blood. There is always a need, recent tragedies or not, for blood donation. For your closest donation site or to make an appointment, visit RedCross.org.

How have you helped support the cause or do you have individual fundraisers you would like to share?

Curvy is Sexy + Vedette Shapewear Giveaway

Vedette sees all women are pretty regardless of size and shape so when we started chatting about me supporting the initiative, Curvy is Sexy, I was all about it! I was challenged to style a piece of Vedette Shapewear as an integrated part of my outfit. I thought I would take this one in a casual way, to show how we could wear this in an every day way. This past weekend, the man and I were preparing to hit up a Vintage Antiquities Market so I thought I would see how I could work the Lea Body Shaper into my Sunday look. Don't fret my friends, it was a lot easier than it seems to incorporate something so svelte into a look where I could feel comfortable and my curves looked fab.

Repurposing Your Flowers, Make Potpourri

When I first laid eyes upon my bridal bouquet, I was absolutely amazed at not only it's beauty but by the sheer amount of flowers and succulents that went into making one flower arrangement for one day. Then to look at all of my bridesmaids bouquets and the church arrangements, there were quite a lot of flowers adding themselves up. I have heard of brides drying their bouquets out and saving them, which I think is a lovely idea. In my particular case, I imagined myself setting my bouquet up to dry and it becoming a wilty, flaky, gross shell of the beauty it once was (believe me, I've tried to dry whole bouquets before) so I tried to think of alternate uses for my glorious arrangement. While I left my bouquet in water for a couple of days to enjoy it, I decided that I would prep the flowers for potpourri and replant the succulents in the hopes they would grow* (I'd been told they would). Before we left for our honeymoon, I carefully dissected my bridal bouquet and one of the bridesmaids bouquets that had been left behind, in order to prep it for drying. And so my first foray into making potpourri began. I figured I always had the pictures my photographer took of the bouquets, if the potpourri making went south.

Your Little Black Dress for Spring and Summer

Just because the weather is getting warmer, albeit it slowly in my area, doesn't mean that there are any fewer reasons you might need a little black dress for some of your most fabulous festivities. Every girl needs a little black dress and there are great options to transition from Spring into Summer, with just a matter of a few details. There are a variety of little black dresses out there that fit any style and shape, with little details that I find fabulous. I am sharing with you all, because well, sharing is caring and it's helping me narrow down some options for a future purchase.

 South Linen Dress, Rickety Rack Black Diamond Dress,  Very.com Strappy Tunic

Obsession Alert: Wild Soul Sunglasses, Fusing Fashion & Philanthropy

I love shopping for a good cause, this we know but never have I seen the opportunity where not only do you get to choose your rocking sunglasses but you also get to choose the cause that you want your proceeds to go towards... enter Wild Soul sunglasses. The funky and hip line of sunglasses, all named after untamed animals, help customers "be wild" while helping them "fulfil their soul", giving a portion of each sale to a charity of the customer's choice. I really like this idea; a little because I love sunnies, a little because I love animals, but mostly because I think it's really pretty awesome that the folks at Wild Soul and Young Republic (where the sunnies are sold) offer great choices of truly worthy organizations to support.

A DIY: A "Festival" Flower Bun Band

Oooooh I am no festival fashionista and I don't pretend to be. Though I do not actively participate, I do like to see all my fellow bloggers posts on what they would wear, what they are wearing (if they are lucky enough to attend the upcoming Coachella weekend 2) and their favorite looks from those who did attend. Something that I am hip and clever enough to pick up on is that lots of festival going women like to incorporate floral aspects into their looks. Whether it is reminiscent of the hippies from Woodstock or just a new romantic way music lovers express themselves, it is something I see as a constant in festival fashion. Sooooo now I get to why I am doing this DIY. I was shopping online, at the ever cool and hip River Island and happened to see the bun top flower hair bands. As someone who has been wearing their hair in a bun a lot lately, this immediately spoke to me. I thought instantly that this was something I could do on my own with things I already had at home... and I was right.

Outfit Post: Hanes my Way this Spring

Here in New England the weather is, well, less than predictable. Last week we had one day where it was pushing 70 degrees and then look, the past two days it's been really chilly and rainy and gross. So as you can imagine, it's tough to put away your "Winter clothes" on a specific date because it can be cool all the way into May. I happen to think a great way to transition from Winter into Spring is the old stand by, tights and now pantyhose. I was lucky enough to be able to try some of Hanes new styles but rather than go with something I always gravitate to, tights, I thought I would try to style some pantyhose. I mean, if they are good enough for royalty in England, they are good enough for me ;-)

Couture Design, My Road to the Corset

So last night, my corset was due in Couture Design. If you follow me on Instagram, I am sure that you have been seeing my updates over the course of corset building. It was a labor intensive couple of months where I built my very first corset, complete with boning, casing, a lining and the design elements that made it my own. At first, I will admit, that the idea of making an actual corset was extremely daunting. I was not sure that I would be able to pull it off, really... but as a testament to my professor as well as my classmates, the process was not only a learning one but a really fun and rewarding one.

A Tribute to Lilly Pulitzer and her Brand

In the past couple days we lost two very amazing women, Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister and Lilly Pulitzer, a socialite turned fashion designer who brought super vibrant colors together for tropical inspired ready to wear for the masses. While I think going into detail about Thatcher doesn't fit into the Prim and Propah aesthetic, it is no surprise to those in the know that Lilly Pulitzer certainly does. Though Lilly and her designs have always represented the "wealthy and elite", there is something about Lilly Pulitzer's story that resonates with me and my urge to make a mark, even small, on the design world.

Studio Gear Cosmetics

I was recently able to try some makeup from Studio Gear Cosmetics, a line I actually found through Twitter. I am always on the lookout for new makeup, much to the dismay of my man, but nevertheless, the next best makeup is yet to be tried. I have my favorites that are staples in my rotation but I have yet to nail down my favorite glosses, shadows and eye liners. I am always pretty excited about makeup but am often left feeling a little "meh" when the product doesn't live up to the hype or my expectations or is just plain expensive. I have to say that I think I found my new favorite lipgloss in the Studio Gear Cosmetics Luscious Lip Shine in Halo. It's an almost Nude color and is a perfect addition to a makeup look where you want to rock a smoky/dramatic eye. When you want something on your lips that doesn't detract from your look or makes you look like a hooker, this is the BEST option: goes on smooth, has a sweet smell and stays put for a good amount of time. Hey, and it's also good for a natural daytime look. I 100% love this lipshine. Love.

Average Size Mannequins... What's All the Fuss About?

I was reading this article on Refinery29 this weekend regarding the hullabaloo surrounding some Swedish department store mannequins. You see, my friends, the mannequins are, get ready for it, average size. These mannequins are size 10-12, which is larger than your typical model/sample size, which ranges 2-4. I remember working at Martin + Osa and when we went to dress the mannequins for floor change, we would grab the smallest sizes that we carried (XS and Size 0) and still we had to use clips sometimes to get the clothes to look right on the super slim frames of the typical mannequin. To me, as someone who as always carried extra weight, even at my thinnest, I logically look at mannequins as just a way to showcase clothing in stores we all shop at even though they do not represent my size. Though I feel this way, I can understand that mannequins that do not represent reality can put unrealistic expectations on women to maintain a certain size to wear certain clothes, but then magazines, movie and television put those expectations on us anyways. So why has it been such a big deal that one Swedish department store, Åhléns, has displayed mannequins that more accurately represent the average woman? There are people who support the mannequins, there are people who say that this encourages obesity, there are people like me who agree with Liz Black... why didn't this happen ages ago?

The average woman wears a size 14. If there are women, size 6 and up, who aren't being represented in the stores they shop at, isn't that a problem? I know I am no skinny minnie but I certainly do spend my fair share at multiple different retailers. Wouldn't you think that a curvier mannequin, a petite mannequin, a medium height/build mannequin could find their way into our stores? Why not have mannequins of every size so that people feel like they are being catered to? I would have to think that if I felt that I were being catered to, I would be more likely to shop there. Again, I do not claim to take huge issue with thin mannequins but also don't really understand the "all one size" thing either... and so the "weight debate" or rather "mannequin size" debate wages on.

What do you think? Would you like to see a more realistic mannequin at your favorite store? 

via Refinery29