// Here's To Being 27!







I say the very same thing every year - it's feels weird to wake up one year older. Twenty six was a fun one. Now I'm ready to tackle twenty seven. Here's to hoping it's my best year yet! I also need to come up with my 27 Before 28 list, and see what I skipped out on my 26 Before 27 one!

27 doesn't feel "old" but holy grey hairs, batman! 

Also, can you believe this is the sixth year I've kept up with my urban typography birthday tradition?! I'm fickle so that's pretty amazing to me. Here's 22232425, and 26! Hopefully this little blog will be around to see 28, too. (I think I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on my new blog look - so we'll see). xo


// KB's Birthday Wishlist

My 27th birthday is on Monday (!!!) so I thought it'd be fun to put together a little wishlist of goodies I totally wouldn't hate receiving haha! It'll be a low key day around here since Mike has school and Toby will be on spring break. It'll be me and the kiddos for most of the day. 27 seems like such a strange age, but I think I say that every year. But seriously... 27. Holy crap.

Anyway, here's my current wishlist:


Seinfeld series box set - because Seinfeld! // Seinfeld trivia book - yes! (I really love Seinfeld) // Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay // An embroidery machine - because I don't already own too many sewing related gadgets (that I have no idea how to use...) // A week in Akumal, Mexico - I can't convince Mike it'd be super fun to take the kids, so I guess I'm wishing for a set of grandparents to offer to keep them for that long haha! // A new pair of Sanuk yoga mat flip flops - Mike got me a pair a few years ago and I went and lost one since last Summer! They're the best! (Size 9) // A huge bag of Runts - because that's what I fill our gumball machine with // An ULTA gift card - because makeup!

What would be on your wishlist? (And do you wanna watch our kids for a week?! Ha kidding! Sort of...)

// Things I Love Thursday v.221

Edited to add: Sorry the photos are so grainy! They totally didn't look like that when formatting the post, but I'll work on editing them out! xo
this
this makeup is SO RAD! ♥
this amazing DIY cactus collection ♥
this awesome zine display ♥
this DIY guess who game (totally going to make this!) ♥
this poster design ♥
these cute dolls ♥
these gorgeous flowers ♥
this adorable DIY dog food tin ♥











What are you loving this week?

// Date Day



We took advantage of the nice weather and Mike's Spring Break last Tuesday and had ourselves a little "date day!" (matching Converse and all, ha!) I had mentioned we were on the hunt for some patio furniture and a new grill for respective birthday gifts to each other, so that's what we set out to do. Toby was in school so we loaded up Linden and headed toward Franklin for the day. We ended up finding the perfect set of huge, cozy patio chairs and a matching glass-top coffee table. Thank you, Martha Stewart! haha Mike found the grill he had been wanting and by the end of the day we were totally set on having a snazzy back deck. We grabbed some lunch at Chipotle, bought some new planters, and even made a run to Ivey Cake for our favorite cupcakes. It was a much needed break from the chaos of our recent days. Most days I feel like I'm drowning, so a few hours together, away from work, were totally necessary (and perfect!)

We had our first cookout on our deck this past weekend, too. We invited over some friends and our neighbors, too. We lit that place up with an outrageous amount of twinklelights and after dinner we roasted marshmallows over the firepit. Mmmm, s'mores! Probably not the most appropriate food for a Tuesday morning, yeah?  

Date day was a total success and now we have a deck I want to lounge on for hours! Overall I'd say it was a big, epic win! I'll be sure to share some photos of said deck once everything is planted and finished. Happy Tuesday! xo

// Window Shopping: Eliza J Dresses


I was recently introduced to Eliza J dresses and now I'm swooning hard. I've been scouring the pieces online, thinking up ways to get every single one of them in my closet! haha I may not have an excuse to dress this "fancy" every single day, but who needs a reason anyway?! The maxi dress and the bold blue/teal ones are my favorite! But I also really, really dig that striped casual one, too.

I need y'all to invite me to all of your parties and wedding and shindigs! Mama wants to feel fancy! xo

// Things I Love Thursday v.220

these gorgeous watercolor tattoos! ♥

this bathing suit! cats and french fries, oh my! ♥

♥ and just when you think it can't get any better, this happens! ♥
this bedroom! ♥
this is the cereal bowl i need haha ♥
this adorable photo ♥
this is the bathroom of my dreams ♥
this photo is so neat ♥
this lofted living room! &hearts



// !!!! In super exciting news, Stitch Fix now offers Petite and Maternity options on their boxes! Now we just need to push them to open up their size range to include Plus. C'mon! (I have been loving my latest Fixes - someone remind em to friggin' blog them!)

// Roxy wrote an incredibly brave post about being bullied at her job, and I just want to reach through the internet and hug her. She is amazing in every way.

// The Gentle Cesarean: More like a birth than an operation. (Though I take issue with the word choice in the title. You still give birth if you have a cesarean.)

// 19 reasons brunch weddings are pretty much perfect.  Why didn't we have a brunch wedding?! WAFFLES!





// A giant octopus almost escaped the Seattle aquarium so good luck sleeping tonight!

// And now for something super fun: NOVICA is giving one of y'all a $50 gift card to spend on their site! I'm super excited about the handwoven chair we just ordered from Mexico! I can't wait for it to get here so we can hang it on our carport! All you gotta do to win is visit NOVICA and let me know what you'd spend your $50 on! Leave a comment below and a winner will be chosen next week!


What are you loving this week?

// Life Lately: Spring Awakening










Spring is my favorite! As soon as the temperature hits 70, I feel like a new person. It's great that this awesome weather coincides with Mike's spring break because we are getting so much done on our house! We have these two awkward "windows" that open up our kitchen and living room, and they've just been useless for the past 2 years. I had an idea last week to create some shelves in them so I doodled up some ideas. I thought one side would be cool with some floating shelves hung on rope, with pots nestled in the top row, and then the other window could have some little "built ins" for all of Mike's books. Sort of like a his and hers set up. Luckily Mike loved the idea and was stoked on building them. We spent Sunday working on them and then we painted them last night. They look so good! I'm so so thrilled. Once they're styled up and finished I'll be sure to share them.

We also worked on our carport and deck. We cleaned off all the leaves (omg) and worked on tossing stuff and reworking the furniture. Mike spilled the beans and said he wanted to buy me some new patio furniture for my birthday later this month so we're on the hunt! I spilled the beans and told him I had planned on buying him a new grill for his birthday at the beginning of May, so it looks like our deck situation is going to be nice! My parents are getting a new patio set for their deck so they offered up their iron table and chairs to use on our carport. We're trying to utilize the carport area the best we can so it doesn't turn into a catchall for tools and junk. (We obviously don't park on it - not the best fit for my Xterra) 

I even painted the front door on Sunday! I had the itch last week and I asked Mike how he felt about it and he was totally game. We picked out a color together and I painted while he screwed in the shelves. Linden got to enjoy a lot of sunshine this weekend, too. We took his Breeze outside and he loved every minute of it. It's supposed to be pretty rainy (again! womp!) this week but I'm just going to hold out for more sunshine. 

Linden has been crawling all over the place (and all over Pip). It's been so fun watching him master this new skill. We also bought a new video monitor this weekend and I love it so much. Linden has slept in his own crib in his own room for the past 3 nights (!!!) and I woke up to the sweetness of Toby making Linden laugh the other morning. Such a sight!

Alrighty, we're off to Franklin to look at some patio furniture and grills! Hope the sun is shining wherever you are! xo

PS; Happy St. Patrick's Day!

// Tragic Kingdom



If I could write a love letter to this dress, I would. I am so head over heels for it, it's unreal. I'm a total sucker for a novelty print, but especially if it's of the citrus variety. I love the bright contrast of the fruit on the black background, and the polka dots are icing on the cake. Does it also make you want to break out into song? I can't help but start singing songs from No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom" album when I see it. I mean, it's one of the best albums ever. I knew I had to have this dress as soon as I saw it on the Unique Vintage site. Favorite perk of being part of the Style Society? Snail mail full of gorgeous prints and swoon-worthy dresses! I'm not sure if you can tell really well, but the bust on this dress is fantastic. It's ruched and it feels perfect for gals like me who are, uh, smaller, up there haha! And it has pockets! I know it'll be just as gorgeous when paired with a petticoat, so maybe next time I'll give that a go. After seeing Linden's mint sweater up against it, I really want to pair it with mint accents. And how perfect is my Sakura Bloom "Maize" sling with it?! Like a freakin' match made in heaven, y'all! (Does that happy baby not just kill you?! Ugh, dying every time I look at those photos!)



I've been playing with some new makeup lately, though I'm not sure if you can tell or not. Makeup days are few and far between lately, but it sure does feel nice to get dolled up a bit. Right now I could kiss my NYX Wonder Sticks. They're fabulous in every way. I did another little "out of character" thing in this outfit: Wore jewelry! Normally I steer clear of clunky necklaces (or any necklaces at all, really) since I wear Linden so much and he's oh so handsy. But I couldn't say no to this statement necklace I got in my recent Rocksbox. The House of Harlow bangle is also a Rocksbox piece. My stacking rings and midi ring are from Bling Jewelry, and they're the perfect little dainty touch I think. 


So uh, I guess I've been a little MIA lately, huh? Sorry! My workload lately has been insane! I normally only book 2-4 design clients at one time... and 4 is only if I know they'll be scheduled out with payments and contracts. Right now I'm juggling 10. TEN! It's totally nuts but oh so fulfilling! I feel really motivated by the work I've been doing recently and the folks I've been working with. I kind of put painting signs on the back burner while I waited for the new batch to come in, so this weekend I'll be powering through those. We've also become incredibly social lately, which is so rare and so weird haha! I love going places and doing things with people, don't get me wrong! But it's been so long since we made new friends and new plans. Last weekend we did things like, three nights in a row. Our days have been full of work, socializing and trying to enjoy outside when it's not raining. I'm hoping this weekend includes a winery visit, but we'll see. It's hard to make new friends as an adult, I think. Especially if you work at home and/or have small kids (minus playdate sessions ha). Not only have we been spending time with new friends, but I've also been pursuing new things off of the internet. Weird concept, right? (haha I kid!) I haven't written much about them because 1) I just haven't had time and 2) it's been sort of nice to have them separate? I don't know. I'm at this weird place where I want to share all about what I've been up to, but I know that it'll just garner side eyes and whatever, and ain't nobody got time for that! :P I promise to fill you all in soon though.

Mike finished his clinical rotations yesterday (!!!) and now he's just one month from graduation. He's on spring break next week so I'm eager to finalize a bunch of client work and then just hang out. Toby's baseball season started up last night so it's like we're trading one thing for another. I know things will be even more hectic once Mike takes the NCLEX and then starts working (and starts his next phase of school), but I'm trying to be optimistic and take it one day at a time. It's too crazy to think about it otherwise! haha 
Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend! I promise it won't be a whole week before you hear from me again :) (Though you can always keep up with what's happening via Instagram. But it's mostly just baby pictures... sorry!)

Pink Martini cardigan via Stitch Fix
Rocksbox necklace
House of Harlow bangle via Rocksbox
Rings c/o Bling Jewelry
MIA wedges
Sakura Bloom ring sling in "Maize"'

PS; Don't forget you can contribute to the Unique Vintage #iamunique campaign by using the hashtag and sharing what sets you apart! It's been such a pleasure to be part of something so fun with a brand I admire so so much. Definitely couldn't do things like this if not for y'all, so thanks for being rad! ;)

PPS: Use the code "kaelahxoxo" to get your first month of Rocksbox for free! (If that doesn't work, use "kaelahbff" - It's been finicky!) It's like Stitch Fix, but for jewelry. Super fun! Only the first 3 people get the free month, I think. So be quick!

// Things I Love Thursday v.219

this, because broad city is EVERYTHING! ♥
this gorgeous planner ♥
♥ this. ♥
this DIY chipmunk softie from a glove ♥
this! 12 famous women who totally owned sexist, racist, and transphobic interview questions ♥
this grrrl gang sticker pack is fantastic ♥
these kat von d lipsticks are on point! ♥
the quokka of australia has my heart melting! ♥

// Loving these dandelion towels right now! Perfect way to welcome in Spring!








// Wishlist Wears: this red chiffon dress // love the lining on these boots - and these, too! // this patchwork dress is at the TOP of my wishlist (!!!!) // the pattern on this dress is so fun and it'd look so good with a bright yellow cardi! // this super fun necklace // this shibori-style maxi dress is going to be perfect for summer // 



// Clueless celebrates its 20th anniversary with a vinyl soundtrack reissue (!!!! "We're the kids in Americaaaaaa! Woo!")

// Last chance to get your hands on a free Tea Box Express package! Get itttttt!

What are you loving this week?