This Week on Instagram

The past week went by super fast! I did my usual Monday/Tuesday thrift run and I was super pleased with my goodies. I got a side chair (not pictured) for $.50, a vintage looking (sadly, not really vintage) Candy Land lunchbox, vintage necklace, and awesome framed crewel work of a bucket of flowers. It matches another thrifted crewel piece I got last year. Both will go up in my craft room once it gets painted.

I also got some prescription sunglasses for the first time! I haven't worn contacts for a year and I hate the bright sun in my glasses. These are the most expensive pair I've ever owned so I will be treating them delicately. I always bought cheapie sunnies before this. :P They are Michael Kors Beacon in case anyone wants to know. Finally, I caught Daisy laying like a seal with both front legs bent back last night. I have no idea why she was doing that; she's never done it before!

Currently, Me!

Taking this idea from Jess, who took it from Sioux! 

WATCHING //

Amish Mafia, the "reality" show on Discovery. Fake? Yes. Entertaining? Yes. 

LISTENING //

I've been listening to The xx for awhile now and I just love them. They are perfect music to have on while you fall asleep. I also can't help but sing along when Ho Hey by The Lumineers comes on the radio. 

PLANNING //

Secret baby and wedding gifts for different people! It's a bit weird in my brain going back and forth but I'm having so much fun with all the ideas. The problem is, I want to make ALL THE THINGS and I love giving gifts so I am having a hard time narrowing it dow. 

THINKING ABOUT //

How tired I am after work. It's only 5 hours a day but I haven't really had a job since 2009 (and that was short lived) so really, since 2006. I know that's pathetic but it's taking me a bit to adjust to working. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO //

• ordering yarn and fabric for baby/wedding gifts.
• knitting again! My wrist is feeling better so that means I can knit soon! I thought it was going to be 8 weeks with no knitting. Torture!

READING //

Ugh, I haven't read in a while. This is way sad because I adore reading and it's one of my favorite escapes. The last book I was reading was HP and the Half-Blood Prince though. Always good to re-read the classics!

MAKES ME HAPPY //

• Diet Coke and Twizzlers
• flannel pajama pants
• the hand dyed roving in the top photo by Spun Right Round

Retail Therapy and Pinterest Faves

You may have noticed things have been a bit slow around here. As you know, last Monday I started my new job and on Thursday I slipped and fell at work, breaking my elbow! It's a small fracture that will heal without a cast, but I have major bruising, a very limited range of motion, and can't lift anything. I also sprained my wrist and had a mild concussion. I'm thankful that I wasn't hurt worse but it's been a crazy past few days.

I thought I'd share some of the things I've been loving on Pinterest lately.

This hilarious octopus doing stranded color work. 

Colors are super inspiring to me and right now I'm loving mint paired with orange. 

This outfit just kills me! The pixelated shirt, the bloomer style shorts, and those fringe boots!

 Perfect outfit for a little girl!

I think I may have the quilting bug and I haven't even started one yet. There are just so many to like! Like this gorgeous triangles quilt by Blue is Bleu. 

I also got to spend a bit of my christmas money, buying some new bras from Soma (best ever), the Robecca Steam Monster High Doll, and these two awesome things from ModCloth:

The grey dress is a perfect wardrobe staple that can be worn year round and that cardigan has been tempting me for months! I just couldn't resist the lace and gradient yarn. Lucky for me, it stuck around in the the shop and I got it on sale for $35!

That's all the exciting things going on around here.

Pooped!

Holy crap, am I tired. I started my new job today as a lunch lady (yep, as in school cafeteria) and it was exhausting. I seriously did not realize how much work was involved! I haven't had a job since 2009 so it's nice to be making some income but dang, am I tired.

I've totally slacked on my 365 already by not taking a single photo for it since the new year. How's that for failing? I think I may start up once February starts and be a month behind. It's going to take some time for me to get into the groove of working so I don't mind not having a ton to keep track of at the moment. The photos in this post are the only ones I've taken in 2013 so far. The girl above was customized was the ever-talented, Milky Robot.

Yesterday, we got back from our two week trip to New Mexico for the holidays. My husband works for the same school district so we get awesome time off! While it was good (minus the stomach bug going around) to spend time with family, it feel so nice to be back in my own house and in my own bed . I started a bunch of knit and crochet projects while away but I did finish a fluffy white Blythe hat yesterday. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the yarn is a vintage acrylic (scored from Goodwill) and is so soft with the best shimmery halo. Sadly, it's not produced anymore so I'm on the search for some more. It's Caron Dazzleaire (remember, the vintage one) if you're interested.

I hope you had a great holiday season and are getting back to real life easier than me!

An Introduction

I'm Lauren but you may know me as cakewalkqueen. I am 25 and live in the Dallas area with my husband and cocker spaniel, Daisy. We bought our first house in 2011 and it has been such a fun experience. I'm a native New Mexican and while I love living in Texas, nothing can compare to green chile and crisp mountain air. 

The "creepy dolls" you may see around on my various social sites are Blythe dolls which I got into in 2008. While I only have 4 now, I've owned a total of 30 since I started collecting. I see them as little travelers so when they don't fit in here, I send them on their way to make room for another. All of the talented people on my friends page have been met through Blythe and I highly encourage checking out their shops/blogs! 

When I started collecting Blythe dolls, I had no idea it would unlock a desire to craft. I've always loved expressing my creative side (I was the kid in high school with weird chopped up clothing) but never had an interest in knitting, sewing, etc. Blythe changed all that and I've since taught myself to knit, crochet, and sew. I'm definitely not an authority but I'm all about trying new things. 

I'm also quite a nerd and enjoy Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Firefly, Sherlock... and the list goes on! Reading has always been my favorite pastime and while I'm an extrovert, I love the solitude the comes with getting lost in a book. I've played Nerd Wars on Ravelry but I'm currently into HPKCHC (Harry Potter Knit Crochet House Cup). It's a creative competition with Harry Potter role-play involved and I couldn't love it more!

I don't have any specific plans for this blog, so it's going to be a little of whatever pops into my head. 

portrait by tinysea

photo layout by pugly pixel