Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Watching, Playing, Reading #8

It's back!  The semi-monthly-ish post series which I haven't written since July.  Whoops.

The only Christmas things I watched were the Christmas episode of Supernatural and The Night Before Christmas, which is actually a year-round movie.

Some of my favorite things I watched on Netflix were:

funny:

Jewtopia (you really need to have a good sense of humor to appreciate this one)
Camp Takota
In a World

creepy:

Darknet
The Ward
The Stepford Wives

classic:

Bonnie and Clyde
Batman
Batman Returns

TV shows:

The Twilight Zone
Sons of Tuscon
Psych
Adventure Time

other:

In Your Eyes
American Mary
Neverwas

I would recommend all of these movies and television shows.  My favorite was probably American Mary (Trigger Warning:  This movie contains content about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors.)

via
Playing:

Super Mario World for N64 (this is one of  my favorite video games, read about some of my other favorite video games in this post)

Super Smash Bros. for N64

Mario Kart for N64

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for SNES
- I just beat the Desert Palace, which my boyfriend has never beat, so he thinks I'm the coolest girlfriend ever.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for SNES




Reading:

Ticktock by Dean Koontz

Gideon's Corpse by Preston and Child

Darkfall by Dean Koontz

Contact by Carl Sagan

Deception Point by Dan Brown

Mr. Murder by Dean Koontz

I loved all of these books but Deception Point was definitely my favorite.  I highly recommend it!

What have you been watching, playing, and reading lately?  Feel free to use this post idea on your own blog.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas you guys! I opened some presents my parents shipped me this morning and aside from that today is pretty much just a day off work in the middle of the week. I'm relaxing and listening to records with the boyfriend (on his new record player) and the animals.  I'm reading unread blog posts and he's reading a book.  And we totally didn't plan to both wear stripes. And you're probably saying, "What animals?! Have you been hiding adorable pets from us this whole time?!?!" And I would say to calm down with all that punctuation and I'm talking about these dudes.
These are my animals. They're cute and easy to care for. The bunny is from my boyfriend and his name is Mr. Snuggles but I like to call him Schnergles or Schnergaley Whirgaley. The monster is Percy, who you've met before if you've been here for awhile. And the cute little baby elephant is Harold. He's the newest addition and I bought him at Fair Trade Winds, where I work.
And these are the presents my mom sent me.  These boots fit perfectly and have studded straps and the sweater also fits perfectly.  And there's a pretty dish for jewelry supplies or pretty stone displaying.  And there was a chocolate snowman which I devoured already because chocolate.

I'll be heading down to see my parents for a week next month, for a much-needed break from work (oh my goodness has it been busy and usually me working by myself all this month) and a late Christmas with the family.  And I'm taking the new boyfriend along.  It should be fun and I'm super excited.  And I'll maybe schedule some blog posts for you guys while I'm away.  I have so much to blog about.

I got a Tumblr recently so I'll probably spend most of the rest of today looking at oddities, since I already read all of the blog posts.  Happy Christmassing everyone!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Book Recommendations from my Younger Self


When I was in elementary school I read like crazy and these were some of my favorite books back then.

1. Anything by Bruce Coville.  He was my first favorite author.  I especially loved The Magic Shop series, the Alien Adventures series, and Into the Land of the Unicorns.  Bruce Coville writes crazy fantasy adventures involving aliens, magic, and/or mythical creatures.

2. all of the dragon books by Laurence Yep  He wrote some great fantasy books about dragons.  I loved me some books about dragons.

3. the Enchanted Forest Chronicles series  a series of books about dragons and strong independent princesses

4. The Grey King I had no idea this was the fourth book in a series but it was a great book nevertheless.  It was about a crazy battle between good and evil.

5. The Castle in the Attic another fantasy adventure with a dragon and magic

What books did you enjoy as a youngster?  Tell me in the comments or make a post on your own blog.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

An Apple Picking Adventure










Way back in July my friend told me that there are apples growing near the fountain on UW campus, so we went to pick some.  The weather was super nice and the apples were really high up, but we managed to get some.  And then I stood on the edge of the fountain and befriended a fountain duck.  He was swimming along next to me the whole time I walked around the edge of the fountain and then he waddled out and followed me on land for a little bit.  I named him Fred and he posed for me to take his photo.  After that we took a photo-taking walk around campus and took some cool photos which I'll share in a later post.

Friday, December 5, 2014

I'm not Dead and Stuff

Hi everyone.  I just wanted to let you know I'm not dead.  I haven't felt like blogging for a while, first because I was really depressed, but now because I'm really happy.  I didn't want to post half-hearted stuff just to be posting, so I didn't.  I do have a lot of cool stuff to blog about when I start to feel like doing so again.  So yeah, that's it, I'm not dead.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Product Reviews: ModaVoxBox from Influenster


I received the Moda VoxBox free from Influenster in exchange for an honest review of the products it contained.  All of the following opinions are my own.



First up is the Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara from Rimmel London.  You probably know that I don't wear makeup very often, but when I do I always wear mascara.  Fun fact: I think I might be the only person in the world who puts on mascara with my mouth closed.  Now that I'm writing this I realize I should have probably included a photo of the mascara wand, but I didn't so oh well.  I really like this mascara.  It has a unique curved brush shape that is big on the bottom and small on the top.  The brush makes it easy to apply mascara to any lashes you may have missed (for me, that's the inner lashes) with the added bonus of making it so you probably won't accidentally jab yourself in the eye.  I am super clumsy and almost every time I apply mascara I end up poking myself in one or both eyes with the wand.  I have worn this mascara three times and not jabbed myself in the eye with it once.  The actual product goes on smoothly and makes your lashes look amazing after just one coat.  It stays on all day too.  It's also easy to wear from day to night.  I put one coat on the right eyelashes in the above photo and none on the left, so you can see the difference.  I will definitely continue to use this mascara and buy it in the future.



In the previous two photos I am wearing the mascara as well as Moisture Renew Lip Liner and Moisture Renew Lipstick, all from Rimmel London.  Let me start this review off by saying that I had never used lip liner before in my life.  This was a clear lip liner that "defines lips and prevents color from feathering".  I honestly don't know what to say about it.  I guess it did what it was supposed to but honestly I have no idea.  The lipstick had long-lasting color and left my lips feeling soft and moisturized.  It wasn't sticky at all so there was none of that having-my-hair-stick-to-my-lips-as-soon-as-I-step-outside nonsense.  The shade I received was not a good color for me, although you can't see that in the photos, so I gave it to a friend, who loves it.  Also, since I have celiac disease I have to be really careful about my makeup, especially lip products, and I couldn't find anything about either of these products being gluten-free so I will not be buying or using them in the future.  If the lipstick was gluten-free I would definitely use it every so often and buy it in the future, in a more flattering shade of course.



The next product I want to talk about is Hair Food.  Hair Food is a new brand that is available at Target.  The product I received was the Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask.  I wasn't excited about it and expected to use it one time to review and then give it to a friend.  I'm pretty low-maintenance and don't put anything in my hair except shampoo.  So I gave this a shot and was happy to find that even with my thick hair, applying the product and combing it through only adds one minute to my shower time.  It smells great, is easy to apply, and the results are incredible!  My hair felt softer and healthier than it has in a long time, and you can see how shiny it was in the pictures above.  I love this product and I will definitely use it again and buy it in the future.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants healthier hair.




Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa made me think, okay hot cocoa is good, and it's gluten free so that will be nice to drink.  I bought some milk at the store, because you're supposed to make this kind of cocoa with hot milk.  I got out my prettiest cup, heated up the milk, and mixed up the cocoa.  You guys!  It was all I could to not gulp the entire thing after the first taste so I could get some pictures.  I took three quick pictures, then drank the rest in one long swig, then wished I had more.  This is the best hot cocoa I have ever had in my life.  If you can't tell by the look on my face in the third picture, I am in love with this cocoa.  If it was legal to marry I hot beverage I have found "The One".  My mouth is seriously watering just thinking about how good it was.  You should probably stop reading this post right now, go out and buy a box of Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa, make yourself a mug of it, then finish reading the post.

Okay, now that you are enjoying probably your second cup of delicious hot cocoa I'll review the last three products.  I didn't take pictures of these because I didn't want to get lotion on my camera and didn't think you wanted to see me blow my nose.  The Puffs SoftPack is a box of facial tissues in a soft pack, in case you couldn't tell from the name.  It has a pretty design on it and it's easy to throw in your purse.  The tissues are also soft and gentle on the nose, and they arrived at just the right time, since I was fighting off the last of a sinus infection.  I don't plan to buy them in the future, because the cheap store-brand of tissues I buy work just fine and I don't really feel the need to throw them in my purse.  The Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer is a good lotion.  This time of year, especially working in retail, I am using hand sanitizer all day long and that makes my hands get really dried out, sometimes even cracked and sore.  So I use a lot of hand lotion this time of year to combat the dry skin.  This lotion is gentle on dry skin and it leaves your skin feeling moisturized but not greasy.It also has a thing in it called Hydralucence which makes your skin more luminous.  I personally don't care about my skin's luminosity but maybe you do.  I have been using this lotion on a daily basis and definitely felt an improvement in my skin, so I will continue to use it and I will buy it in the future.  I don't really see what the big deal is with the Resource Spring Water.  It's got "naturally occurring electrolytes for a clean, refreshing taste."  To me it tastes like any other bottled water.  But it comes in a bottle that is made from 50% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable, so if you're into that sort of thing, maybe this is the bottled water for you.  I won't be buying it though.

So to review, the thing you should definitely buy from this box is Swiss Miss Simply Cocoa.  At just $2.29 it's super affordable and it's also super tasty.  Plus it's made from just five ingredients: sugar, cocoa, nonfat milk, salt, and natural flavor.

The things you should probably buy are the Rimmel London Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara and Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick, as well as the Hair Food Moisture Hair Mask.

The things you should maybe buy are the Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer and the Puffs SoftPack.

The thing you should maybe skip is the Resource Spring Water.

And lastly, the thing that I have no clue about is the Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lip Liner.

Happy shopping!

Monday, October 27, 2014

Achievement Unlocked: I Carved My First Pumpkin Ever!


About two weeks ago I was going to hang out with my friend, but she and another friend were about to watch the first episode of the new season of American Horror Story.  Although I love American Horror Story, I'm having to skip this season because it's full of clowns.  You might recall that I am completely terrified of clowns.  So I headed out to the porch because I heard voices out there and to my surprise some of my housemates were carving pumpkins!  And even better they had an extra one they let me carve!  It was already cleaned out so I didn't get to experience the joys of pumpkin guts.  I went for a simple wonky pumpkin face and it was easier than I thought it would be to carve.  I am super happy with how it turned out.  Of course, since we carved them so far before Halloween they already rotted/got smashed, but that's fine.  One of the new guys in my house loves Halloween and he carved five new ones this week.  He also got papers to get our whole street shut down for Halloween so we can have a block party.  I don't have a Halloween costume, but I'll probably stop by the party anyway, for at least a little while, before holing up alone in my room and watching Netflix while eating ice cream.

What are your Halloween plans?  What are you going to be for Halloween?  What's your favorite Halloween candy?  Talk to me in the comments.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

A Tough Post: Telling the Whole Story

The only reason I'm posting this is I hope it will help even one person to have the courage to do what I didn't.  In May of 2012 I quit a job because of sexual harassment.  And I shared most of the story, but not all of it.  The thing that I didn't share is that I didn't have the courage to tell him no or to say stop.  I was able to get up and walk to a different part of the room but I couldn't say anything.

And apparently it took me over two years to admit that.  I lied to my mom when I told her what happened to me, and I never lie.  I told her that I told him to stop, but I didn't.  I wanted to, but I couldn't.  Because as my boss, he was in a position of power and he knew it.  He knew how badly I needed a job and how long I had to search before he hired me (two years).  I was small and timid and did as I was told.  I didn't want to lose my only source of income over what (at first I convinced myself) was just me misinterpreting the situation.

I didn't say no or stop but I did do something very difficult and very important.  I told somebody what was happening.  I wasn't strong enough to get myself out of the situation, but with G's help I did.

I felt like I needed to write this post because this afternoon I stumbled upon Youtube videos about Sam Pepper and others.  Serious accusations have been made against them recently.  And regardless of whether or not these crimes actually happened (I am not saying whether I think they did or not), people in power do take advantage of people they have power over.  Whether it's a celebrity and a fan, a boss and an employee, or some other powerful person doesn't matter.  The truth is that it happens.  Just because someone is in a position of power over you doesn't mean they're better than you.  It can be really hard to say no.  Maybe you don't want to hurt their feelings or appear rude.  Maybe you don't want to end a relationship.  But you are worth it.  You deserve to be happy and you don't deserve to feel uncomfortable. Whether you believe it or not.  Because I may not know you, but I do know that you're amazing.  And you're fascinating.  And I want you to have a happy life.

I wish I had the courage to say no.  But I didn't.  I hope that you do.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Friday Fashion: Fall Outfit Ideas

It's no secret that I love Fall.  One of my favorite things about Fall is the fashion.  These outfits embody all of my favorite parts of Fall fashion: layering, boots, hats, olive green, dark red, and cozy knits.  I would love to wear all of the following outfits!  For now I'll just be happy with the awesome studded ankle boots I got for $5 a few days ago.

Aren't they amazing?!








Can you not get enough of Fall fashion either? (That sentence doesn't sound right now matter how I phrase it.  Oh well.)  Well, stay tuned for Part 2 coming next week!  And if you don't want to wait until then, stop by my Falling for Fashion treasury on Etsy.  It's full of amazing handmade fashion by super talented makers.

And if you're looking for some one of a kind jewelry to complete your Fall outfits, check out the new listings in my Etsy shop.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Being Sick is Hard to do

photo via MorgueFile because I didn't think to take a picture of my tea
I abruptly came down with a harsh cold/flu/whatever two weeks ago on Thursday.  It took me 9 days to shake off the delirium that accompanied my low fever and be able to go back to work.  During that time I slept about 12-16 hours each night, watched Netflix, took that gross gluten-free cough syrup, drank tea, napped, had crazy fever dreams, made outfits on Polyvore because the fever was accompanied by creative inspiration, and ate soup.  I went back to work on Sunday and then I worked today and after coming home from work I got a really bad sore throat but only on the right side.  I have a swollen tonsil on that side, so now I'm adding gargling warm salt water to my routine.  With all that being said I seriously need to add that I haven't had a cold/flu/whatever (as far as I can remember anyway) for this whole year!  And for me that is super good, because before I knew I had celiac disease I would catch every little thing that was going around and not fully shake it for at least three months.  So this is exhausting and no fun, but I've been worse in the past and I survived.

I hope you are all in good health and only drinking tea for enjoyment these days.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Putting on a Brave Face

N and I will have been dating for a year in October, but he won't be here in October.  He'll be crab fishing in Alaska.  He's crab fished for 4 years total, but it's been 3 years since he's been on a boat.  He takes off for Alaska next week and that is way too soon!  I won't be able to talk to him while he's at sea.  And I'm not worried about him, but I am nervous.  There's a reason the show they made about crab fishing in Alaska is called The Deadliest Catch.  So I'll be missing him like crazy and it will be at least a month and a half before he's back.  I've never dealt with something like this before, but I know that he loves crab fishing so I'm putting on a brave face.  But on the inside I'm really nervous.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Thrifty Thursday: It's Been a While


Now that I have a job again with a regular income I can do things that I haven't been able to do for awhile, like thrifting.  Luckily for me my workplace is a short walk from two thrift stores.  I checked out the first one, Restyle for Ryther, last Friday and bought this belt and the two books.  Then I went over to the Ballard Buffalo Exchange and found this great dress and these perfect Fall flats.  My red flats finally died all of the way so I needed some new ones anyway.  I managed to get all of these great items for just $30 total!  And I'm not sure if I told you about this chair yet.  I wanted to get a comfortable chair to put in front of my computer because my swivel desk chair bothered my scoliosis.  I had a budget of $50 to spend and wasn't sure if I would be able to find anything for that.  I saw this gorgeous floral wingback chair at Value Village and instantly fell in love.  I checked the price, sure it would cost too much, and found out that it only cost $7!  I bought it right away and have loved it ever since.

I can never pass up a Dean Koontz book I haven't read and don't own yet.  And check out the gorgeous details on the flats!



Here are some similar products to what I bought, on Amazon.  These are affiliate links.


Saturday, September 6, 2014

My Day: Farmers Market Gluten Free and Fall Jewelry

This morning I woke up at 9:00 with my plans for the day all ready.  I ate a breakfast of vanilla yogurt with Honey Nut Chex and zucchini marmalade (it's something that my mom cans and it's like orange marmalade but with zucchini in it, tastes like orange).  I started listing the remainder of the Fall jewelry in my Etsy shop.  Then I took a break at 1:00 to go for a short walk to the University District Farmer's Market to get some lunch.  I headed straight to the Nuflours bakery booth because everything I have ever tried from them has tasted delicious and, just as importantly for gluten free food, been the right texture.  I selected a spinach tomato gouda scone and a mini loaf of banana bread.  Then I bought a giant peach from another vendor.  The scone was flaky, filling, and delicious.  I ate just it for lunch and was too full to eat anything else.  It's a great buy at just $2!  I'll definitely be buying it again.  I took a snack break to try the banana bread around 3:00 and it was also amazing.  I'll be eating it at breakfast tomorrow, if I can keep from eating it before then!  I didn't manage to take a picture of the scone before devouring it.  Nuflours is at all of the Seattle area farmer's markets, and I intend to get my lunch from them when they're at the Ballard Farmer's Market, right outside my workplace, every Sunday.  I highly recommend everything I have tried there.  Besides what I ate today I have eaten and loved their strawberry cake with pistachio cream, cinnamon roll, and carrot cake.  It's the sort of food you can hardly believe is gluten free.  Friends who can eat gluten have attested to the deliciousness of Nuflours offerings.

Aside from that I just wanted to let you know that I have a ton of Fall jewelry to list!  So I have been a bit blog absent, but I have some posts planned for next week, including one about my fantastic thrift store finds lately.  Check out the Fall jewelry I have listed so far, check back often, and share it with your friends.  Is anyone else super excited for Fall?  I can hardly wait for layering clothes, boots, knit hats, and chai tea lattes.

Here's a peek at some of the new jewelry in my shop.


What's your favorite season?  What are you looking forward to in Fall?

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Etsy Love: Fairy Tale

When I think of fairy tales, I think of dreamlike woodland settings, lots of flowers, and a sense of adventure.  These are some Etsy products that I would associate with fairy tales.  Click here for links to these products and to see my entire fairy tale treasury.

the girl in this print looks like she's ready for adventure

such a pretty woodland faerie crown

possibly the prettiest dress ever

this would be so gorgeous for organizing all of my small jewelry supplies

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Achievement Unlocked: I Love My New Job!

photo via Fair Trade Winds Facebook page

I met with the owner of Fair Trade Winds on Monday, August 11 to see if I would be a good fit for their open sales associate position.  She hired me and I went in for a couple of hours during a slow time on that Friday for training.  Then I worked for four hours on Sunday.  On Sunday the Ballard Farmers Market goes on right outside the shop and we were super busy.  You might remember that I have social phobia.  Despite there being hundreds of customers in and out of the shop while I was working there, I loved every minute of it!  My bosses and co-workers are all super cool and nice and helpful.  I didn't feel even an ounce of stress the whole time, which is super important for me because a lot of stress makes me have seizures.  The shop itself is filled with amazing fair trade products from around the world, and they all have a great story behind them.  It is a super inspiring environment to work in, both artistically and socially.  I have learned so much already!  I am really passionate about the products and the people who make them, and I have been telling anyone and everyone who will listen about the importance of fair trade.  I feel like I am making a difference by working there and that is a great feeling.

For those of you who don't know what fair trade means, let me tell you about it.  It's not just a fancy buzzword and it's not a label people slap on products so they can charge more money for them.  According to the Fair Trade Winds website, "Fair Trade is a system of trade that focuses on transparency, respect and equality. We support fair trade because we believe it is important to consider the lives and livelihood of the people who make the things we buy. Fair Trade ensures a fair, living wage, a healthy, safe and non-discriminatory work environment, and a commitment to building long-term partnerships that dignify an artisan’s work."  I have learned some other things about fair trade from working in the shop so far.  Fair trade products are handmade by people in other countries, especially third-world countries.  A lot of the makers are women and/or mothers who would have no other way to provide for their families.  It helps the women in male-dominated societies to be able to take care of themselves and keeps them from having to go into human trafficking.  Fair trade products sell for a price that will provide a living wage for the people who make them.  Different countries have different living wages so a similar product can sell for a very different price depending on the country the maker lives in.  Fair trade is actually very affordable.  I am continually surprised by how low the prices of various products are compared to what I would expect to pay for them.  These products are handmade with care and attention to detail.  Here are some great examples of products that I have learned about, which we sell in the shop and you can also buy in the online shop (just click the picture to go to the item):

These bracelets are made of dyed grass by Maasai artisans.  They are stretchy and can be worn as a bracelet, anklet, or necklace.  100% of the profits from this design go toward paying the salaries of local Kenyan teachers.
http://www.fairtradewinds.net/shop/hand-in-hand-shea-butter-soap/
This is an all-natural shea butter soap and it's super pretty.  But more importantly for each bar purchased one will be donated to someone who doesn't have soap, and 50 square feet of rainforest is saved.  This company is dedicated to protecting against diseases caused by the lack of clean water in impoverished areas and they just built their first clean water well in Haiti.  This soap would be a great gift but also great to keep for yourself (I want one of each scent.)

http://www.fairtradewinds.net/shop/cement-bag-small-messenger-anchor/
This messenger bag is the perfect addition to a nautical outfit.  It's made in Cambodia of recycled cement bags and purchasing it helps in the fight against human trafficking.
http://www.fairtradewinds.net/shop/dragonfly-garden-haitian-recycled-oil-drum-wall-art/
Last (for today) but not least is this lovely Haitian metal wall art.  They make all sorts of designs out of old oil drums!  Each piece of art is created by cleaning an old oil drum, cutting it open, pounding it flat, sketching a design, then creating it with a hammer and chisel.  All of the pieces are coated with a rust preventative and the big pieces are signed by the artist.  Learn more here.  These are the pieces that shock me the most with how low the price is for the incredible amount of work and detail that goes into making them.

Fair Trade Winds has locations in Bar Harbor, Maine, Fairfax, Virginia, Stony Brook, New York, Seattle, Washington, Springfield, Ohio, Jamestown, Rhode Island, and Boulder, Colorado.  You can find addresses and hours for all of the locations here.  If you aren't near any of those locations you can shop the products online here.

It's not too early to start your Christmas shopping and fair trade products make great gifts.  I intend to do all of my Christmas shopping at Fair Trade Winds.  I have already been scoping out gifts for my family (and some for myself too! I seriously love all of the dresses.)

I was in no way compensated for writing this post.  I just can't stop telling everyone how amazing fair trade is!  I will definitely continue to share my favorite products from the store every so often.  If you still want to know more about fair trade, you can read the Fair Trade Winds blog or check out the Fair Trade Federation site.  In my next fair trade post I'll talk about the principles of fair trade and share some more of my favorite fair trade products, including the prettiest tin cups ever.


Saturday, August 9, 2014

Friday Fashion: Fossil Hunting


First of all, I want to say thank you for all all your kind and supportive comments and emails on my last post.  I was feeling pretty overwhelmed and hormones definitely made it worse, but it helped me a lot to know that I have so much support from other people who are in the same boat.

Secondly, I have a job interview on Monday!  It's at a fair trade place that wasn't hiring when I left my resume with them at the beginning of the year but they moved locations and found my resume and really want to meet me.

Thirdly, I want to talk about fossil hunting.  When I was in elementary school my brother and I would always bring in fossils for show and tell.  Not animal fossils (I wish!) but plant fossils, which are still super cool.  There's this cliff up the hill from my grandparents' house that has rocks erode off of it and lots of the rocks have fossils in them.  We like to call it The Fossil Rock and we keep its location top secret.  The outfit above would be so perfect for fossil hunting, although probably with boots instead of the sandals but I love those sandals.  I really want that shirt and the bag is amazing!  I would wear it with this lava and pyrite necklace.


When I went home a couple of months ago to visit my brother I stopped by The Fossil Rock with my mom to do some fossil hunting.  We didn't find any plant fossils but we did find some petrified wood and a lot of rocks with crystal bands.

There are lots of pretty wildflowers on top of The Fossil Rock.


The Fossil Rock itself.  It's not much to look at to most people but I love how you can see so many different rock layers.
the pretty treasures I found; petrified wood in the center

Fossil hunting and rock hunting in general is a fun and usually free pastime that I have enjoyed since I was little.  I am excited to incorporate some of my finds into my handmade jewelry.  It's always cool when two passions come together.  Do you like rock hunting?  I would love to see photos of your rock collection!