Yarn Bombed... and New Hair!

Maybe I am just living under a rock, but the first I heard of yarn bombing was when Elycia wrote about it in June. I don't knit so I wasn't quite as cool as Elycia, who actually made her own pretty, colorful contribution... but I did come across a little yarn bombed haven on the way home from the salon the other day!

If I hadn't read about it previously, I would have been incredibly confused when I drove by the busy street, with cute little trees all cozied and brightened up along either side (though it would have been a pleasant surprise regardless). Armed with my (limited) knowledge of yarn bombing, I was very excited to see it near my neighborhood! So, naturally, I dragged Jacob back that weekend to check it out and take pictures with me. Meanwhile, all of the cars on the very busy street probably thought it was strange to see this girl with bright hair posing with a bunch of trees. Eh well. =)

Oh, and I did mention I was coming back from the salon... which means new hair, of course! We (all hair color decisions are a collaborative effort between me and Antonio, the best hair stylist ever) did end up adding a little purple later and touching up some spots that didn't work quite right, but this is pretty close to what my hair looks like at the moment. My new hair goes so well with my new Starry Eyed bow and favorite Tieks too.

Thought I'd go with a literal interpretation of the term "tree-hugger."

Jacob popped in to take a picture with the tree he matched best.

It looks like whoever got to the trees (I'm assuming this is the same crowd) added wings to the horse statues in front of the park nearby as well! Pegasus x 2!!

View from the hill at the park... you can see the little yarn-bombed trees in the background. I am in love with my ruffly blue shirt from Vivo... it reminds me of a layer cake.

Tank Top - Vivo

Jeans & Purse - Guess

Electric Snake Flats - Tieks

Heart Hair Bow - Starry Eyed

Jewelry - Kelsea Echo

Don't forget... all of the jewelry pictured is available in my shop for 25% off and 100% of revenue goes to the American Heart Association until October 19! Also, Starry Eyed is having a 15% off sale with the coupon code "HELLOFALL" until October 15 - their bows are super cute and affordable.

I love anything that makes the world a more colorful place. Thanks, super cool anonymous yarn-bombers!!

San Diego Zoo, Part 3 - Less Fuzzy Mammals

First, I shared the bird and reptiles I photographed at the San Diego Zoo. Then the super fuzzy animals. This time around, the animals are less fuzzy... but just as awesome!

Who doesn't love a good zebra butts photo?

This guy looks like what I'd imagine would happen if an antelope and zebra had a baby. What crazy patterning! Poor guy probably had a hard time fitting into either group growing up.

And a few more butt shots.

Mmm... grass!

Heehee. Look at that little dude! Looks like nap time.

I caught a little action series of this dude laying down. Gosh that looks like a painful way to go about it.

That is the exact pose I would select if I was lying on a beach checking out the ocean view. Think that's what this cutie was going for?

Those horns!!! I wouldn't get into a fight when these goats.

I'm thinking the tagline here should be "tiny but ferocious." At least that's what the expression says to me.

I must be a in a snarky mood, since you got my snarky commentary instead of any actual animal facts. That and I don't know any of their names because I'm terrible at that sort of thing. Anyone who wants to help me out with that, be my guest! Two more parts to post, still!

Thoughts & Things Thursday #9... on a Friday

A quick piece of the busyness that is my life right now (also known as why T&TT is on a Friday!): Yep, life happens. I stayed up until 5:30am on Wednesday eve cleaning the house, then trying to finish up graphics and other related items for the Help a Heart event and giveaways. Not to mention going to bed at 4am on Sunday eve taking and editing pics and post things in the shop! Factoring in waking up around 7am daily for work and working 10 hours a day, this made for an extremely sleepy girl on Thursday eve. Last night, I decided to actually go to bed on the same day I woke up for once this week! I'm very pleased with the new format of T&TT... but it does take more time! I swear, blogging is at least 40% selecting and editing pictures. Anyone else feel that way?

Alright, enough of my rambling. On to this week's lovely links!

1. Zali blogged about visiting Dreamland... which included seeing a baby tiger!

2. Crazy cute kitty-eared Blythe dolls (via Violet)!

3. I love this dress San snapped a picture of at the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention! You can also see her cute outfit and lots more in her part one and part two posts.
4. As I mentioned, I like seeing people's studio/living spaces (especially since I'm still setting up mine). Loved Kaelah's office/studio tour!

5. Kate Gabrielle also shared her studio space. So dreamy!

6. Looks to me like Dorien and her very fortunate friends and family may have had the most delicious birthday feast ever.

7. Chantal is doing a little series on making her own flavored bubble teas! She shared her recipe for orange chai bubble tea... very cool.

8. If you couldn't tell from the events I've blogged about in the past, I'm a huge fan of craft fairs. One of the best parts is seeing the displays. Naturally, I loved seeing Erin's Sunshine and Carousels show setup as well as some of her favorite booths.

9. Carrie shared her gorgeous butterfly photos from the Pacific Science Center right here in Seattle. I think it might be about time for me to visit again!

10. Kaylah's Shedd Aquarium photos from her Chicago trip are stunning! Wish I'd known about it when I was in Chicago for training last year. It's hard to pick a favorite, but it just might be that smiling stingray.

11. Alexandra posted this beautiful Alice-inspired photo shoot on Violet's blog. I love seeing different Alice interpretations. The mad hatter's makeup is my favorite.

12. There's a fun Halloween terrarium project up on the Etsy blog! It's kind of like a diorama for grown-ups. Don't you think? Anyone remember having to make those for school?

13. Eeka put together a mouth-watering collection of cupcakes and cakes with hidden shapes inside! I'm not sure I have the patience to make any of those... but I'd be more than happy to look at and gobble them up!

14. Have you seen Hint Mints? They come in gorgeous cases. They've released several mini-series, with the case designed by various artists. My favorites are the James Jean and Audrey Kawasaki series (via Drop Dead Kawaii)!

15. Check out all of the beautiful stations at Anna's salon! She just did a makeover on her station table.

16. Hayley shared another delectable Halloween recipe... witches stew cookies! Mmm...

And More Goodies!
+ I like Erin's post on how to give a compliment. Super simple, right? Then why don't we do it more? I know I generally feel terribly awkward... but I am trying to be better about it. =)

+ Anyone fellow Seattleites fans of Twinkie Chan? I'm psyched that she'll be at Plush You's grand opening on Friday, October 12! I could not care less about meeting most traditional celebrities, but I am excited to meet Twinkie! Hehe. Plus, a whole show on plushies... it's hard to beat that.

+ Any of you subscription box junkies (or wannabe junkies, like me) heard of Conscious Box? It's all about eco-friendly, conscience-friendly goodies each month. It's rated very highly, and I've thought about it for me or as a gift but haven't dived in yet. Then I saw that they released a special one-time box offer for the Super Mystical Magical Mystery Conscious Box! Sounds pretty epic, doesn't it? $19.95, free shipping, and stuffed full of leftover goodies they had. Win!! Wanted to share the link on here since they're limited... and I'll share my review when I get mine, of course.

+ I've never linked a sponsor post here before, but they're also usually pretty standard. I love how Zie changed it up this time by including a fun autumn element! You can visit to see all of her sponsors' favorite thing about fall... and catch a sneak peak of something I'll be posting here soon!

+ I loved Allie's article on the importance of thoughtfulness in the dating world.

+ This little blue owl bank from Urban Outfitters is so adorable! Jessie included it in a few rooms she 'styled' for Violet's blog.

+ Jenny shared her kitchen must-haves... so many good ideas!

+ Three years after her dad passed away, Hannah made this incredibly thoughtful, beautiful gift for her mother on her parents' 25th wedding anniversary.

+ I have to admit that I can absolutely relate to Meg's very honest post about the imperfect ponytail. I am so terrible with anything hair-related, it's just sad. Curls come out uneven and take forever, braids take even longer, and forget any sort of fanciness beyond that. Hehe. I would be beyond ecstatic if I had hair like Kaelah's every day, but it's never going to happen. Anyone else have the same problem as Meg and me?

+ This story reveals a few harsh truths... first, about that iconic photo that I'm sure everyone in America has seen, and secondly, about our culture's sad reaction to the truth.

And of course you should visit these Kelsea Echo Studio jewelry giveaways on Icing and Write, The Marvelous Flight of Cara, and The Cookie Button! Just sayin'. =P

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Thoughts and Things Thursday is a weekly feature where I share links to articles and posts I enjoyed reading, artists I discovered, pictures I came across, and more. These may include things I found funny, heartwarming, sad, ridiculous, interesting, heartbreaking, or just important to share. Some are themed, others miscellaneous. They are things that got my attention and what I thought of them. You can read all of my T&TT posts here.