{Inspiration Friday} Love will find you out

It’s okay to fall apart.

You don’t have to know the answers.

All those pieces you’ve been holding for so long while you raced around your life looking for the last roll of scotch tape, go ahead, let them fall.

Let them fall.

Every last piece.

It’s okay to scramble.

You don’t have to be calm now.

All those plans you’ve been stringing together like a macaroni necklace in kindergarten–

every last one is beautiful, so beautiful, so go ahead.

Keep grabbing at everything you ever wanted and always feared you’d never have.

Every last beautiful dream.

It’s okay to hope against hope.

This is not a time to be reasonable or rational.

Run, run as fast as you can against the tide that is crashing down now.

When the last wave sweeps over you

and every hope has been dashed

You will still be here, right here

and you will not be sorry you tried to make all your sorrows disappear....*

When it's least expected yet needed most, life has a way of delivering these exquisite magical moments. Whether in the form of a letter from a dear friend, a random note written on a wall, or a poem stumbled upon, the Universe is always there to lend a helping hand if only you're willing to look for it. These past few weeks have been filled with loads of gentle nudging and kind words and I am beyond thankful for all of it.  

As this wonderful Holiday weekend falls upon us I'm looking forward to long heartfelt conversations beneath a blanket fort, random sun filled wanderings and letting my creative spirit soar. 

Enjoy,

FK

*Excerpt from "Love Will Find you Out". Go read the rest of this beautiful and inspiring poem by Jen Lemen Here

{picture via Rafael}

Rawr!

Amiee  is totally rad.
Zack  and Rick are pretty nifty as well.




Simple, clever, genius.
Plastic dinosaur planters via PlaidPigeon

{up, up and away} Monday Inspiration

We built our getaway up in a tree we found 
We felt so far away but we were still in town.... 

lyrics by Jack Johnson

Inspiration {top to bottom:}

 “a tea house [built] too high.”; steampunk tree house; free spirit spheres

Lazy Brunch Sundays

In honor of S. Monster's birthday, we threw a belated brunch and board game bash for 16 of our nearest and dearest.   

Confession: I totally used my husbands birthday as an excuse to go a bit overboard in planning for this.  

But I digress. Unable to have a party without a theme (the horror!), I used things on hand as the launching point for the newly appointed 'retro bohemian does spring' event (stop judging me with your eyes). Cute (and cheap!) green goblets and plates, curtesy of T.K. Maxx, helped set the green and white tone; a charity shop found vintage drink trolley, lime name card holders, stripped napkins and fresh flowers added the final finishing touches. 

A few detailed shots of the table setting before the masses descended. Look how pretty! 

Before I continue, there's something you should know about me. Less than 2 years ago I could barely cook dinner without wreaking havoc on anyone who ate it. My own cooking literally gave me food poisoning (twice). Yes it is a sad but true tale, but all is not lost. 

Please allow me a few moments to brag, m'lady:

 With S. Monster's help, we churned out homemade granola (which I am now obsessed with!), vanilla crumb cake, banana muffins, thin mint cookies (S.'s favorite) and breakfast pizza. We also had a spinach salad, fresh bread, cheese spreads, lemon bars along with fresh fruit salads (thanks friends!) and a few quiches (thanks Marks & Spencer!) on hand to round things out.  Impressive, I know. 

Of course, no brunch would be complete without a few drinks of the, *ahem* alcoholic nature

 *wags eyebrows...seductively* 

A trio of tasty thirst quenchers - bloody marys, mimosas and "happy juice" (pink lemonade, pomegranate juice and vodka) -were on hand to dutifully wet one's palette.

I totally color coordinated my outfit to my apartment. I'm pretty bad ass like that. 

After brunch the games came out, the day wore on and vodka eventually ran out.  Our last guest didn't leave until almost 7 hours after we began. Surrounded by good friends and good food, it was the kind of lazy indulgent day that spring is made for. One that made my inner 1950s housewife brim with the satisfaction of a day well done.

xx

FK

**P.s. I'm not sure where I was going with the whole "m'lady" or "seductive eyebrow" thing, but I'm gonna pretend it leads to greatness, ice cream and unicorns. 

{Design Crush} MC Motors warehouse

I stumbled across these images of MC Motors warehouse and am completely smitten....

Via Moorsk

This space has a deliciously vintage meets industrial vibe with it's well worn walls and exposed bricks. Is it just me or does that first photo remind you of the speech therapist's room in The King's Speech (love!)? The addition of a beautifully carved lounge in a deep turquoise jewel tone, ornate mirror and chandelier add touches of glamor while a mannequin, rocket ship and light up marquee star (which I want) add just the right amount of playfulness. Finally the high loft ceilings creates such a lush sense of space and light- two attributes that I suspect are bit hard to come by in London.  

Apparently this space also retains a lot of it's original features, having been restored over the years, and can be rented out for exhibitions or events**. Personally, I think this space would be incredibly cool to host a party or wedding in and it's definitely on my list of places to check out next time I'm in London. 

**Um yea....the website I found these images on is in Japanese so I'm not entirely sure if that's still correct as I couldn't actually find the place online. Then again I have the google skills of a 5 year old so really, what do I know? 

too cool for school

Harry Potter Nike Dunks 

via Kaycunana

I'm not usually a high tops fan (my feet are big enough as it is) but if these were real I would rock these so hard your face would hurt. 

True story

{Monday Inspiration}

Things are going a mile a minute over here as I prepare to finally get this show on the road and officially launch this feeble idea of mine. There will be more details than you can shake a stick at but suffice to say that after a crazy productive 4 days, at the end of the week, I hit an emotional wall of sorts. All those fears and insecurities I thought I had sealed off came crashing through the barrier of my subconcious - a torrent of overwhelming proportions. 

But slowly I started working through it. I eternally thankful that I can always rely on S. Monster to help snap me out of funks and ultimately this one was no different. Add to the mix, an unexpected incredibly meaningful and eye opening conversation with a dear friend Saturday night, and I felt as though a weight had been lifted.  

By Sunday, as the hubster and I took advantage of the glorious weather we were having, I vowed to be fully present in the moment and be aware of the world around me. On our walk over to a friends, I stumbled across a lil something that made me positively dance with glee....

There's nothing quite like having the Universe tip it's imaginary hat to you to warm your heart and let you know that everything is going to be a-ok.

{Dublin Edition} Abseiling

View from the top. Ain't it purty?

 This past weekend the hubster and I headed out to the Dalkey Quarry (near Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel) to try our hand at abseiling.

Thanks to Adventure Agency (and a half off city deal coupon!), we met up with a group of 11 other brave souls who had forgone the usual Friday night drinking in favor of an early Saturday morning adventure to repel down a 33 meter cliff. After a 60 sec "tutorial", we one by one hopped over a lil brick wall, grabbed on to a suspiciously thin tree, balanced precariously on a foot long ledge, said a tiny prayer and then went over the edge.

Halfway down we were told to jump while simultaneously threading rope to speed up our decent. A relatively easy thing to do, yet it took me a few (pathetic) attempts before I managed to get the hang of it. To be fair though I can't really do anything that requires more than basic coordination, so it was a lot to ask while repelling down a cliff.

Wheee! Look at me not falling to my death! 

While I took my sweet 'ol time getting down, S. Monster flew down in less than 30 seconds. The damn showoff was so fast we this was the only photo we were able to get of him:

Just hold on loosely, but don't let go!

 It was far too short (we only got to go once) but if you're ever looking for a different way to start your weekend, I highly recommend checking it out. Dublin may not be known for it's mountains but there are more than enough quarries to keep things interesting. Now go repel down wit yo baaad self!

xx
FK

{Nerd crush} Felicia Day

Via Wired

You might have noticed Felicia Day through her various cameos and roles in shows such as "Dollhouse", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "House."  Personally though, it wasn't until the awesomeness that is Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long-Blog** before I finally tuned in to how amazing this woman is.

An accomplished violinist who also just so happened to also study ballet and operatic singing, Felicia went to college at 16 (!) and graduated valedictorian of her class with a double major in mathematics and music performance. An avid gamer and lover of science fiction, Felicia has been forging new trails for nerdy women everywhere through her online presence.

On top of a long list of accomplishments and upcoming projects, Felicia is also the creator, writer and star of The Guild - a web series now in it's fourth season, about the lives of online gamers. Based loosely off her own gaming experiences, The Guild has won numerous awards. Not to mention that the first season alone- which the cast shot out of their own homes, and financed solely by loyal fans-generated over 80 million hits(!) Now I don't know how I've gone so long without knowing of this show but I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda obsessed. It's bite size nerdy goodness goes down easy and can be appreciated whether you're an avid gamer or not.

It's so liberating to find such strong creative women who aren't afraid to let their inner nerd show. Felicia is a role model in a community where real live strong sexy females are usually only reserved for the virtual world.


Even though I've written about other geek-tastic women, it's only been recently that I've discovered such gold mines of inspiration. To see it proven that one can be creative, successful AND nerdy just sets my lil comic book lovin heart a flutter. This must be how Mario felt after eating his first mushroom.


So for all my geeky girls (and boys) out there this one is for you:



xx
FK




**If for some insane reason you have not seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog (Seriously? I'm not sure I can be your friend until you do. What? A girl's gotta have standards!) here's the skinny: it's a musical tragic- comedy three part web series that tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring super villain; Captain Hammer, his nemesis and Penny their shared love interest. Written by Joss Whedon during the 2008 writers strike, Dr. Horrible has gone on to win a slew of awards. I can't be bothered to list them all but feel free to go here and check out their street cred. Satisfied? Good - now go watch it!

Loving....

The new signature scarf from Ban.do

via Ban.do
15% off thru April 13! (code:sigcarf)

It makes me so happy with it's cheerful little red hearts - it's the perfect accessory for those lazy sunny days.  

 I mean seriously, it's just so damn cute  how can you *not* love it? 

{life}

Via Ondine

The past few weeks have flown by - I can hardly believe it's already April! Here's a quick recap of what I've been up to lately: 

• currently loving every second of the oh-so-brilliant Do What You Love e-course...
• and working hard to try to create a small collection for the upcoming Brocante Market
• finished the master bathroom makeover
• hosted a brunch for 16 of our closest friends
• enjoyed a small trip home to Florida to renew my drivers license, spend time with the parents and soak up some much needed sun
• cemented a new friendship over a 6+ hour lunch
• attended my first yoga retreat where I finally pulled off a backbend (I had no idea my body could bend that way!)
• started fencing lessons with S. Monster (learning how to attack your spouse with a sword is a totally healthy outlet for marital disputes right?) 

So tell me dear reader(s) - what new and exciting adventures have you gotten up to lately?