Friday Favorites & Life Lately

This has been one heck of a week, man. I've been hovering on the edge of getting sick for a few days now, and I'm pretty sure the only thing keeping me going is a steady stream of hot tea with honey (and maybe a dash of whiskey at night) and lots and lots of coffee. So I've been working from home (and coffee shop, and library) for the past two days (on Wednesday and Thursday), trying to negotiate with a very stubborn sore throat. Oh, and also because of catpocalypse...on Tuesday night, Zeb must have seen and/or smelled one of the many strays in our neighborhood, which resulted in a MASSIVE EXPLOSION of agression towards Zephyr. Let me tell you, those pheromone amalgam diffusers work wonders, after a day and a half of not recognizing each other and having to be separated, we plugged the diffuser in and BAM, they both chilled out and were conked out for a few hours. Hating your sibling takes a lot out of a cat.

So all of this has lead to it being kind of a stressful week, life-wise. I'm not sure what I'm up to this weekend, but I can tell you, it probably won't be much. I would love to get outside and see something new, I've been craving nature lately like mad. We're definitely feeling more at home in Pittsburgh and really enjoying the city- especially compared to how we felt six months ago- but something that I'll always miss about home is being able to drive north for the weekend and have somewhere free to stay. It's a lot easier to get away and go for a hike or go to the ocean when you have family to crash with. I have a couple of short trips to visit friends planned in October though, which I'm looking forward to.

My goal for this weekend, other than getting back to balance and SLEEPING, is to really get a handle on this here blog. There are so many changes that I've been wanting to make over the past year, but just haven't made the time to actually implement them. If you haven't noticed yet by the many times I've written about it, I get distracted. Usually I get distracted by sunny days and nice weather, I hate feeling cooped up inside, but also hate being upstairs in the office at night away from things. Such is life I guess. Anyways, right now, all I want is sleep. Sleep would be so good.

Wow. That was a whole lot of words to basically say, I'm tired, the cats had a fight, and I hope I don't get sick....How was your week?

Here are a few things that brightened up a very stressful week:

I'm very excited to welcome Bali ELF as a sponsor this month. If you're not familiar with this brand BaliELF is based in, you guessed it: Bali. All items are made to order by hand, using vegetable dyed leathers, you pick the color and interior. The Vagabond duffel might just be the perfect travel bag yet. Receive 10% off your order with the code ORCHID.

I'm really loving maxi skirts for fall and Spotted Moth has added some adorable options to their new arrivals lately. I love the fall colors of this striped skirt.

This sequined dress from Ruche has such a lovely silhouette. I'd wear it now with a collared shirt underneath, and for a holiday party later on with bolder accessories.

Lulu's is stocking up on cold-weather clothes! I absolutely love this faux-leather skirt, it would look perfect with a grey sweater, tights, and flats.

InfinEight is back from vacation and fully stocked! Absolutely loving this bronze and burgundy necklace.

Speaking of fall colors, this velvet maxi from Bluesville, USA might just be the perfect shade of burnt sienna! Receive 15% off your order with the code orchidgrey.

I am so excited for my friend Mandy of The Curvy Blogger, who launched her Kickstarter this week! She's starting a clothing line called Zaftig for sizes 10 and up. The first dress, seen in the video, looks amazing!

I found this article via A Cup of Jo and couldn't help but repost. This woman and her thoughts on her personal appearance is incredibly inspiring, and the apology from the person who initially insulted her is surprisingly inspiring as well.

After Thrift Shop, I didn't think I could possibly love Macklemore and Ryan Lewis more. And then he released this.

Remember when I was volunteering at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum? Harold Burnham, the boat-builder next to the museum received a National Heritage Fellowship. They sailed the Ardelle, which was launched last year from Essex to DC, and the Washington Post wrote about it.

The earrings in this shop are so unique and beautiful!

Another Etsy shop that would have all my money, if it were possible.

I'm a little bit obsessed with velvet this season, loving: these insanely awesome pants, this geometric mini, and this cute shift.

Have a safe and relaxing weekend!