Hello lovely readers! If you're anything like me you have probably, at LEAST once, asked yourself where has October gone?! I'm looking over at my calendar and am in complete disbelief that it's already the 25th. And while I'm relieved that we're still enjoying some mild weather, which is pretty uncommon for this time of year, I'm sad to see the leaves are falling so quickly. Soon everthing will be bare and very cold. I'm told it's supposed to be an extremely cold winter for us. That it will get as cold as it did back in the 70's. Of course I wasn't around in the 70's so I don't know what exactly to expect, plus we live in the Springs so it's never as cold here as it is in Denver and further north.

Recently the wonderful Kristina of the Eccentric Owl, SaraLily from In a Nutshell, Lindsey from Have Clothes, Will Travel, & Kara from The Dressed Aesthetic  all nominated me for the Liebster Award. I've been seeing this floating around on Instagram but I honestly had no idea what this was till I read about it on Kristina's blog. Thank you for nominating me ladies, I can't tell you enough how flattered I am that you thought of me!

What is the Liebster Award you ask? Well from what I gather, when nominated you are to share 11 random facts about yourself, then you answer 11 questions, and finally nominate 11 more bloggers! Seems pretty neat. I loved reading everyone's random facts! It's exciting getting to know the lovely ladies I follow.


 Sooo as for me I guess I'll just jump right in!

Random Facts:

1.  I left my home when I was 17 years old. My family life wasn't a strong one but I wasn't what you would say a wild child or a troubled teen. I was actually pretty awkward, not popular, and did well at school (teachers loved me). At home however, I butt heads with my stepfather a lot, he wasn't a good person. Charismatic, funny, and good looking as he was, I saw the wolf in the sheep's clothing and he didn't like that. He scared me and did things to justify those fears. Parents and friends, even teachers tried to help me over the years but somehow my stepfather always won and I was left looking like a lair or a fool. At the age of 17 I ran away. I slept outside in a new housing division that was being built. Never had I been so scared! Security found me and I was returned to my parents. Shortly after I arranged to live with a friend. It was only then that I discovered my parents were moving out of state. After they left I learned the person I was to be living with wasn't a good person and changed their mind about me living with them. I was completely alone. I can say I know what it's like to be homeless and even sleep under a bridge. I don't wish that for anyone. It's cold outside and when you don't have anyone to lean on while you sleep it's frightening to close your eyes. Thankfully in the months before I met a strange guy at a party, he had randomly mentioned if I ever needed a place to stay, his door was always open. At the time I thought, what a creepy guy, he's way older than me! Unfortunately when you are homeless and faced with being alone outside, the risk of staying at a strange persons house doesn't sound so bad. I knocked on his door (hoping I had the right house and he remembered me), he opened the door and smiled. He turned out to be the most amazing friend and the beginning to the wonderful life I have now.

2. I've always wanted to be a dermatologist. I'm fascinated with our skin and how to care for it. Although I will perhaps never become one, I know a great deal about skin and hair. I probably visit my own dermatologist far too much and as such I often drowned her in questions. Have a question about acne or keeping your skin youthful? I have tons of suggestions!


3. Some of you may already know this but I love anime cartoons! I'm a sucker for them! I mostly only prefer romance anime. There is something so fun about the dramas they create and the way the stories are written. Most stories never end like you want them to, which can be annoying but also what keeps you from guessing how everything will play out. It's also a fun way for my children and I to bond on a lazy day. My favorite anime? Kamisama Kiss, Ouran High School Host Club, and Fruits Basket... honestly have a million favorites but I'm trying not to geek out on you too much!

4. I am the worlds worst person with directions! If I haven't driven some where a million times, I probably won't find it...unless Jedidiah makes me a lengthily detailed printout. Even GPS eludes me sometimes. I get overwhelmed when I'm told to turn in xx amount of feet! What? Turn now or up ahead? AARG! This probably comes from the fact that I didn't get my drivers license till I was about 23 and I'm usually the passenger.  I'm often soo busy babbling, staring off into space, or on my phone I don't notice my surrounding. I need to work on that...

5. I do not eat pork or anything unclean. While I'm always working to strengthen my beliefs and faith, this is one thing I am strict on. Although I'm not Jewish, my beliefs are much the same about eating unclean animals. In fairness, I don't like pork in particular anyways, growing up we ate it and I didn't like it. Actually I'm mostly vegetarian now a days and am working to be more vegan. I'll have to share about that another time, it's been quite the adventure and learning curve.

6. I'm passionate about art, especially painting. Ive been drawing and painting since I was very young. I've taken art classes on and off my whole life. Actually I'd love to find a painting class around here. There is always room for improvement, ALWAYS! As a child I desperately wanted to be an artist and work for Disney. As an adult that has changed... I'm actually not big into the whole Disney thing other than watching their movies. I dabble in other mediums too but painting is what I always come back to. Someday I'd love to open up a little shop and sell paintings, mostly for fun and to encourage myself to paint more often. The painting below is a few years old. Unfortunately I haven't gotten around to photographing my new paintings. I'll have to save that for another post.


7. I'm an over sharer! Yep, sometimes I don't know when to shut up! Inside, this fact kills me greatly, but at the same time I've tried to accept that this is me and apparently its not changing. I'm not bothered by talking about sex or the booger in my nose or yours! There are subjects that I wish I could be more quiet about and it's always a great uphill battle controlling what I say. I'm NEVER rude or impolite. I strongly believe in good manners, I just cant seem to find the off button or that inner voice that says this is probably a good stopping point. Actually that voice usually comes about an hour or so AFTER I've overshared. Because of this meeting people makes me extremely anxious (even though you'd never know it, I'm told). The plus, my husband jokingly says" I never have to wonder what you are thinking because I know you will probably share it with me anyways." Sometimes I surprise people when they ask me that because I almost always share what I am thinking, strange or not. I chalk up a lot of my over sharing to the fact that I don't get out socially as much as I wish I could. Other than the light chatting I do online (which I cherish) and visits with family, I don't really have anyone I visit or have girl time with.

8. I love learning about anything and everything! I'm constantly reading about how to do something or why something is the way it is. My grandfather used to teasingly say "Heather you don't have to ask every question that is in your head."  Thankfully now a days I don't have to, I can just google it. Anything that farts into my brain, I'm always quick to look it up. Sometimes that's a bad thing. It can easily distract me from my daily life. What once started as me looking up a tutorial for a vintage hair style led to me watching a video about a transgender sex change operation. How did I get there?! I seriously have no idea, of course it's now a topic I know a lot about. LOL!



9. Whew it's really challenging coming up with random facts! I'm probably over thinking this. Lets see, I own 41 pairs of shoes! Up until about 4 years ago I only owned about 3 pair. Then I started getting into the world of fashion and now I've become a shoe fanatic! I'm also stocking a few new pairs. They eagerly sit in a shopping cart begging to by purchased...they're on sale people! I won't even tell you how many dresses I own.

10. As a child I used to volunteer at the La Purisima Mission State Historic Park in California. It's part of the 21 Spanish missions in California. Ever heard of it? It's basically an outdoor museum that reenacts the lives of the Spaniards and native American's that lived there in the 1820's. I was passionate about my time there. I learned how to weave on a large wooden loom, make tortillas from scratch (grinding the corn), and baking bread in a stone oven. Most of my time however was spent with the animals. I loved caring for them and walking around the burros. When I was 14 I was in the newspapers, fully dressed in costume. I was also photographed to be used in high school history books. Somewhere out there there is a photo of me in a high school book...that some kid scribbled a mustache on!

11. I love cracking jokes and being entirely too nerdy. I'm pretty sure I'm about as corny as they get but I love making people smile and usually do unless your my oldest... then she just says "MOM! You're so weird!" Of course I know she totally loves how I am, she's just a teenager.

Now on to the FAQ:

1. What inspired you to start a blog?
What originally inspired me to start a blog was my bath and body business I use to own. I had hoped to expand my business and share about new products. But the more I thought about a blog the more I thought how wonderful it would be to meet new friends, connect with others, and have a writing outlet. Over the years it blossomed into a fashion/ lifestyle blog.

2. Who is your favorite style icon?
I don't know that I really have a favorite style icon. My feelings are a lot like Kara from The Dressed Aesthetic, I am more inspired by a style vibe. The people who I truly love to see are you, the people I see on instagram and blogs, or even the stylish lady walking down the road. Real everyday women.

3. Can you name two of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?
I kind of don't like this question. I feel like answering this might discourage others, whether they follow me or are in the same circle, to think there blog isn't as unique or popular enough to be mentioned. I love a great many bloggers. I follow a TON! Each having something different and I'm always floating around, finding new ones. I will share what the first fashion blog I ever followed was Skunkboy Blog. I'm not necessarily saying Katie is my favorite but she did bring a lot of inspiration to me when I first started blogging ages ago.
 
4. What's one wardrobe essential you can't live without?
My cardigans! Even in the summer I usually have one floating around in the car. I love how versatile they are and the variety of colors you can find them in. I don't even know how many I have, but it's a LOT!

5. How would you describe your blogging style?
To be honest I think I'm still trying to find my blogging style. I always have so many ideas in my head of what I'd like to see on my blog and how to sculpt it, but for now it's a work in progress. In a nutshell, my style is written as if I was speaking to a friend over for coffee, some rambling, sharings of modern vintage styles that are both dressy yet easy to style, family life, outdoor photography, and my travels.

6. What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?
It might not sound like much to some but my greatest achievement outside of blogging is having and raising my two beautiful daughters. Being a mom is a challenging roll that never ends. I'm proud of what I've accomplished. I've devoted my life to them and I couldn't feel more accomplished.

7. What was the last book you read?
I actually haven't picked up a book in a few months. I've been pretty busy with other projects. I really need to make more time for reading. I love getting lost in another place in time. The book I'm currently in the middle of reading is Mortal Instruments: City of Lost Souls. When the last book came out I decided it was a good time to reread the other books so I would be refreshed for the last book. I'm hoping to read this book and the last before the adapted tv series Shadowhunters comes out in January! Eek!
 
8. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
If I could go anywhere in the world, I'd go to Ireland (and plan to). I have Irish roots and would love to see where most of my family comes from. My family's Irish name was Meagher. It's pronounced differently than it looks. I love this name so much it became Piper's middle name.

9. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I honestly don't know and I'm okay with that. I have hopes and plans but those can change. My husband and I are adventurous people, I could still be living here doing the same thing or I could be living in Canada or abroad! We talk about that idea a lot. I'd love to see my photography grow into a business but I still have much to learn.

10. What was the first movie or book that made an impact on your life?
Humm I watch and read a lot of romance movies. It's hard to say precisely if one made an impact on my life. They tend to set an unrealistic standard that is hard to apply to real life. The one that stands out the most to me is Jane Eyre by Charolette Bronte. I first read it my junior year. Most of my class complained about the reading material and gave my english teacher a hard time. I had never been so moved by a book before, the love, the drama, the obstacles she over came. I was probably the only student to do all the extra credit on this book. My teacher was so thrilled about my love for the story that she gave me the book, which I still have to this day.

11. What advice would you give someone who just started blogging?
Don't compare yourself to others (I'm still working on that one too). Write about what your know and love. Have fun and don't take blogging too seriously otherwise it will start to feel like a job. If you want to grow your audience remember to interact with your readers, take an interest in them too. Blogging groups tend to become like a family and once you are a member we love to support one another.

Nominating 11 Bloggers: 

This last part is a difficult one because I don't know a lot of bloggers that haven't already gotten this award! So if you've already done one this year, my apologies and of course this is just for fun, please don't feel obligated to participate.

1. Bleed in Colors
2. Colour Me Bristol
3. Aww, Sam
4. Lemon Freckles
5. Taryn Draws
6. Winnipeg Style
7. Violet and Eloise
8. The Cutie Life
9. Tiffany Ima
10. The Feminist Unicorn
11. Life on a Dot


Outfit:

Stockings: c/o TabbiSocks
Dress: Fleet Collection (You can find her new company here) 
Shoes: ModCloth
Glasses: Firmoo
Belt: From another outfit

Take Care & Enjoy,
♥ Heather