Gretchen & Nurse Betty

OK, I'll do a rainy day outfit too...my body's version. But I have another good idea first. A FUN one. And I'm not that fun of a girl. So I have to make an effort to act on the fun when it comes into my head.

You know what I'm realizing? For me, the word "holiday" equals "good excuse". A holiday on the calendar gives me a reminder and a sense of liberty to do things I would otherwise probably not do. Sometimes that good excuse turns into a tradition. Take dyeing eggs. I LOVE dyeing eggs. They have nothing to do with Easter and its meaning, but that holiday is a good excuse for me to do something I really like. And in the middle of October, I'm not just gonna go dye some eggs. Of course, some holidays are much more than that, but right now I'm just talking about how they can be a reason to add some fun into your life. You're so good at fun already....but you can't ever have too many ideas. (I think that will end up on my tombstone).

So October...a good excuse to do something I wouldn't normally do...Do you know where I'm going with this? Me and my sassy redheaded self? If there is ever a good reason to dress up while being above the age of 10, it is now! And you know what? I'm thinking your marriage could use a little spice. You know how I know your marriage would enjoy some spice? Because I've never, ever heard you say, "WOW, our relationship is just so filled with spontaneity and surprise! I can barely handle how much excitement and romance is taking place!" Never. And I've never said that either. That's just our deal right now; we've had young kids for the better part of a decade now, and spontaneous has come to refer to a child having an "accident" and not having a change of clothes handy.

Mostly, we just complain to each other about how we can barely sneak out for dinner with our husbands a few hours a month. Or how hard it is to find a good sitter. Or how the kids being sick for five straight weeks is choking the life out of everything else. Right? That is reality.

So friend, I'm here to encourage jumping onto the train of good excuse. Buy a costume! Yes, I mean for YOU. Be surprising. Be spicy. Trust me that Fun is a good investment, paying off in lots of smiling and awesome memories. But you know that. You just never thought of fun in this way before.

Oh wait, YES you have!

Remember these familiar ladies, Gretchen and Nurse Betty?
(Yes, Gretchen was the actual name of my costume. I don't know the name of your costume, so I just named it Nurse Betty, you little health care vixen. And by the looks of you, someone was taking extra breaks in the on-call room. I watch Grey's Anatomy...I know what goes on in there!)

Wow. That is some shiny blonde hair. Whew. I am not sure if the greater cost is the dollar amount or the dignity, but either way, I'm jumping on the train this year. You know it's worth it. Let me know if you're in.

Rainy Day Taste (curvy)

As the weather cools off, I sometimes wish for a piece of you...
Let me clarify.
I wish for a longer, leaner silhouette.
Don't get me wrong, I am not wishing I was the tall elegant one (you are too good at filling that place).
I just wish for like 25% of your long trimness.
Just stretch me out!
All the fun layering styles seem to look so good on you.

But today, I pulled off my short curviness to the best of my ability.
I liked my outfit.
So, I asked my little photographer "Tiny Ty"  to take a picture.....or four.

So, here is the run down:

• Gold cords-Old Navy
• Black and white button down- Target 
• Hounds tooth rain boots- Target (two years ago, but they STILL have 'um!!)
• Polka Dot cardigan- American Eagle (3 years ago, so they are gone, but look at this one from Target! that'd be cute too, right?)....the one in the picture is getting a bit pilly, so I may need to make a trip to Target, myself.
• Umbrella- antique shop on Del Mar (what is that place called again?)
• Cream woven skinny belt- American Eagle (the cream was last year, but here it is in brown)

cute right?
What's your favorite rainy day outfit?
I know you have a perfect outfit for all those Barbies longer, slim ladies out there, needing inspiration.
You could come over and let "Tiny Ty" shoot you in your rainy day fav!
But, I think you may have a little, blond, second-born genius of your own....
Come on lady!
Show me what you got!

Black crows, but not black toes

I am super excited for this blog too (though I'M intimidated by putting up my photos next to your pieces of photographic art). And I LOVE those tanks. You knew I'd pick orange. They look so softie.

You know what else I get excited about?

Yes you do. Bird stuff.

That's why I had to have these black paper crow silhouettes for my Halloween decor (they are by Martha Stewart Crafts and I found them at Joann Fabrics). Because crows are normal, and at the same time slightly creepy, when in the right setting. You know what else is normal but also a little creepy? Warty-looking gourds. My kids and I are pretending that you get warts if you touch them. (But since my son can't remember the word "warts" he just says "those things witches get on their noses.")


I don't usually decorate for Halloween (though to my husband's dismay, I've always really liked the holiday ever since I was a kid). Many people don't care to acknowledge Halloween due to its dark roots, but our family sticks to the positive aspects. And naturally, I stick to that which is cute, no matter the season.

But seriously, the spider web situation is killing me. I'm sure you have no problem with it at all....it's not sticking down, changing its shape every day, being picked at by the kids....that stuff is very frustrating to people who like order.

But one attempt at cuteness went awry. My mistake took place yesterday. I got a mani/pedi, thinking I'd reflect the season with some nail drama. So I chose a dark raspberry color for my toes, and a flat taupe for my fingers. What, you say? Isn't that black polish on my toes? Look at this horror!


Those are not dark raspberry. After that second coat, the sassy and dramatic color morphed into something too dark, and now my toe polish looks completely black to all people who are not 6 inches tall and examining my toes in direct sunlight.

I know you're thinking you won't get an October pedi because you've moved on, from sandals to boots, but you will cave. I know these things. So my advice, friend, when you do go, is to stay away from that which will morph into black. Not too dark. I'm liking plum or chocolate.

Moral of the story: Black crows = Yes. Black toes = No.

Here are a few more shots of my small corner of spookiness. Also at Joann Fabrics were the Martha 3-D black glittered chandeliers. Don't you love these? My son picked the Martha spider silhouettes to go with my crows and chandeliers. I straight pinned them with scrunches of fabric scraps inside display frames (also Martha Stewart, that I found at Michaels Crafts) which are about half the depth of a shadow box and come with a set of "specimen" pins. Perfect for my creepy, paper arachnid specimens.

I guess all that's missing in my display is the candy. When I find some, I'll share my Reese's Pieces with you.

Promise.

Cheers to Cake and Cotton!

I am so glad to finally be starting this blog!
It feels like we have had this baby in the works, in our heads, for a while.
I love that we are doing it.
I love this idea.
I am a little intimidated by putting my ideas and writing out there since I am MUCH more casual and (and let's face it) not as great a writer , but i am mustering up the courage to just be me and not worry (to much) about grammar or punctuation or brilliance.
One of my favorite things about us is that we are so different, yet there are many things that are the same....sorta.
In honor of that, I picked us each out a tank top, Les.






























mine is aqua.
Yours is a kinda burnt orange.
They are the same, but different.
Different colors. Different sizes.
They are us.
They are super cute (of course!).
Cheers to Cake and Cotton!

{...and if you want to get your hands on any more "Shauna" or "Leslie" layering tanks, click on the color above to order them target. They are 8 bucks!}

Meet Leslie

She is the most determined friend i have ever had. She uses this determination in all she does. Whether in her mothering or friendship or her devotion to her husband or finding a good font, she is intentional about doing her very best.

She will figure out the details BEFORE starting a project or moving forward with an idea. She will figure out what to put in a set of jars before buying them. She will make a list of exactly how many rosettes, of each color, to make for each wreath and THEN start. She is a perfect speller and I think my mom must smile(smirk) at that, since she was too.

She has good taste (this is an understatement). If she suggests that I will like something, my personality is to doubt that another person can know just what I like, but that has been proven wrong time and again. She likes good stuff. You can count on it.

She thinks the same things as I do, in a different way. And she is not trying to change me into HER, she is trying to understand ME. She pursues where I retreat. She is tall and elegant, where I am short and curvy. She loves clean and modern, where I like vintage and eclectic.

Her language is words and she is constantly surprising me and blessing me with them. She has a lot of thoughts and she clearly expresses them through words. She sometimes finishes my sentences when I can't think of a word or get my thoughts out.

Although she has high standards, she sometimes surprises me with her willingness to eat at Taco Bell or give her kids grace when I am focusing on rules. And that grace runs over into all her relationships. Because she is humble, she always (mostly) looks at others through a lens of grace that is sometimes hard for me to understand.

She and I are different, but the same. She is my complement and I am hers. She lifts me up when I am down. Two are better than one.

Leslie also blogs at Top of the Page where she uses all those words to work out her faith within the pages of God's story for her.

Meet Shauna

She is beautiful because she is full of joy. She is almost always happy, which is reflected in her obsession with the combination of red and turquoise, her musical favorites like Jason Mraz, and her visible grace when faced with her shortcomings. She is also prone to sudden, loud bursts of laughter in quiet restaurants.

She doesn't have to be good at everything. She's taught me to say with a smile, "I have many other fine qualities!" when I'm self-critical. She challenges herself to attempt projects I may shy away from for fear of not getting it quite right. She's flexible, comfortable in her own skin, and has no idea what the word "precise" is for.

She doesn't love reading directions, would rather overpay than figure out how to split the bill, and has trouble telling you her recipe, since it was guesstimated, felt, and experienced instead of measured.

Her language is color. She is excited by giving something vintage new life, and then even more excited to give it away to a friend. Creating with her hands is the way she prefers to reflect the God-given beauty in her life. And reflect Him she does.

Finally, she is brave. She loves her family passionately, always searching for wisdom in how to fulfill her callings as a wife and mother. She is on a mission to raise her children into strong and loving adults, even when they drive her to her limits.

She is girly where I am preppy, curvy where I am straight, requires shorter boots and prefers shorter shorts than I do, is a Summer where I am an Autumn, and laughs as much as I cry. Somehow, God has brought us together, filling in our gaps with one another's friendship. And despite her questionable spelling skills, I've learned more than I can express from her. I am so blessed to be called her friend.

Shauna also blogs at The Reed Life, where she shares the beauty in her life and home through her camera lens.

What's the story?

Cake & Cotton is a friendship. Two hearts and minds mingling all things beautiful and delicious. Two sides of the same coin. Two stories. Two different women, finding some common ground on which to tread.  That common ground sometimes involves cupcakes, the perfect brown boots, or childish creativity.

Cake & Cotton is a conversation we're inviting you to join. It is practical yet thoughtful, offering solutions and outlets with your soul, style, tastebuds, family and home in mind. Cake & Cotton wants to inspire you, refresh you, and encourage you to create.

Shauna & Leslie are Cake & Cotton. We believe that two are better than one. Because we weren't meant to make it alone.