If I Were a Shoe

I found some inspiration in the most fabulous pair of shoes I purchased last week. I bought them to wear to a wedding, so yes I did NEED them- but I have a feeling they would have come home with me if there were no reason at all. When I look at these shoes I see me- or at least what I aspire to be. They are feminine, sleek, and sophisticated; yet playful and have a bit more going on than first meets the eye (love the surprise gold heel and gold trim throughout).

After pondering the idea further, I can't help to think that maybe I am actually more like my cowboy boots- reliable, laid back, but also ready for anything (where can you not wear boots?) While these two shoes are completely different, combined they have many qualities that I see in myself. So my question for you is what kind of shoe do you see yourself as?

Halloween Adventures: A Whole Weekend's Worth

Since Halloween was on a Sunday this year, I (along with my party animal friends) decided to celebrate on not just Sunday, but the entire weekend. Out of all the nights, Friday was the most laid back. I dressed up as a zombie bride and we all went to a few of the local college bars.

Katie as an Avatar

On Saturday, we made it down for the end of the street party in the Central West End. I was sad we missed the costume contest, but it was still pretty awesome seeing so many people dressed up in one place. I went as the energizer bunny for the night, and although I got a lot of complements on the costume, it probably wasn't the best thing to be wearing in such alarge crowd.

Grace as a Vietnam Vet

Finally, on actual Halloween, a group of us went to see Umphrey's McGee at the Pageant in the Loop. The band really got into the spirit of Halloween and were all dressed up. They put on an amazing show, playing some of their music along with some great covers. Although I'm too old for trick or treating, I still love Halloween and am so happy I got to fully celebrate it this year.

Umphrey's Rocking Out

Fall Festivites

picking our pumpkins

With Halloween approaching, my friends and I decided to spend a day pumpkin picking and carving in preparation. We went to Eckert's, which is just outside of St. Louis, where they let you pick your own pumpkin. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day, so we were able to fully enjoy everything from the tracker ride to the kids fair. After searching to find the best pumpkins, we sipped cider and carved away the day. For me this was a perfect day because it involved some of my most favorite things: friends, food, crafts, and the outdoors.

our masterpieces

Little Things

Now that the LSAT is over with (finally!), I have a bit more time on my hands. However, as it always goes, as one thing ends another begins- and in my case it's midterms. But, I am making sure to take time to relax and enjoy some of the small pleasures of life this week. For me this includes walks in the park, picking wild flowers, homemade desserts, listening to records, shopping for records (at Vintage Vinyl in the Loop- check it out!), cocktails parties with friends, reading outside, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes. The weather in St. Louis has been unseasonable warm, so I am trying to make the most of it before winter rolls in. I encourage you to take 30 minutes a day to do something just for your own enjoyment- I mean why not?

my lovely record player

wildflowers from the park

Pre-Fashion Week Party

So, I know that I am still slacking on posts, but what can I saw I'm a busy person? But, with all the the chaos that is my life, I have been looking back at some of the few nights I have made it out with friends. One of the more recent of these was a pre-fashion week party at Mandarin Lounge put on my Synergy Productions. Myself and a few girlfriends attended the private party to kick off St. Louis Fashion week. Although it wad fairly crowded, we were able to enjoy a few cocktails at the rooftop bar and take in the wonderful weather. I'm so happy that I was able to spend one last warm evening out with friends before my life started to pick up speed.

Grace, Myself, and Ruthie

Luckily, my life should be slowing down a bit within the next few weeks- so look for more posts!

LouFest

With school beginning and my schedule quickly filling in, I have been slacking on my blog posts...

But, the other weekend I volunteered and attended LouFest in Forest Park. This 2-day festival had both local artists and some bigger names like broken social scene, Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), and She and Him on the lineup. Being the first year for the festival, I was unsure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the 2 stage set up, food venders, and recycling efforts.

Grace on the cart

My friend ,Grace, and I showed up before the gates opened to volunteer. Our task was "waste management," and we were a bit nervous about what we would actually be doing. Luckily, we got the exciting job of driving around the recycling cart. At first, we were setting up the recycling bins around the festival grounds and then we went on to collecting cardboard from the venders. It actually turned out to be a really fun job and we made friends with a lot of the other people working at the festival.

The real fun began later in the evening when we returned to LouFest to enjoy the music. We made it in time to see Built to Spill and Broken Social Scene. The bands put on great performances and the weather couldn't have been better. LouFest was the perfect way to end the summer, and I have a feeling that it will grow in the upcoming years

me with friends, Albert and Ruthie

Broken Social Scene

Fall into Fashion

I realize that this blog is suppose to based around things in the Loop, and I haven't had any posts including it recently- so here ya go!

This week I redid the windows at the store I work at, Morrell's, in the Loop. It was suppose to be themed around fall/back to school, and I came up with the concept "Fall into Fashion." I bought all of the materials (besides the spray paint) at Goodwill, which was exciting because I love giving old objects a new life. I used spray paint to turn the paintings I bought into chalkboards and old book pages to decorate the walls. To age the pages further, I tea dyed them (basically dip the paper in tea), which I think adds more color and texture to the display. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but looking at it daily reminds how quickly summer is coming to a close.