Inspiration Striking


Want to know what's great about fall and winter?  Throwing a hat on after your hair starts to look gross but you're too lazy to wash it.  I think I did that for about three days in a row last week.  This outfit was inspired by something that Kendi wore a while back.  Kendi's style is a lot more sophisticated, classic, and "grown up" than my own (and she towers over me), but I really enjoyed the mix of prints in the scarf and striped top, paired with the cozy knit of the sweater.  Plus, I was inspired to tie my scarf in a new way!  
Last night we went to the grocery store and I got a bunch of stuff for some recipes I've been wanting to try, so today I'm spending the day cooking and baking up a storm!  I love having the oven and stove going when it's grey and rainy out, it keeps the house warm and smelling delicious.  I got the new cake cookbook Vintage Cakes (written by a PNW baker!), and I think I'm gonna try the maple cream cheese frosting from the book on some pumpkin cupcakes I found on Pinterest.  Pinterest is such a great recipe resource.  I love having pictures in a cookbook, but usually cookbooks only have a fraction of the recipes photographed, so I'm rarely drawn to the recipes that have no pictures, though I'm sure they're just as delicious as the ones that have photos accompanying them.  I kind of want to get the cookbook What Katie Ate simply because the pictures are so amazing.  I'm sure the recipes are amazing and the food tastes just as good as it looks, but lately I'm just so enamored with food styling and photography.  I love when a photo can just make my mouth water instantly.  Mmmm.

top/courtesy of olive green anna :: cardigan/anthropologie :: scarf/thrifted
hat/REI :: boots/courtesy of modcloth :: bag/courtesy of handbag heaven
I rarely don jeans in the summer, mostly because I feel like I'm letting my legs air out from the 9 months spent hiding inside tights, but now that the temperature is dropping, I'll probably be spending more time in pants.  I've been on the lookout for an affordable pair of high waisted black jeans for the past 2 years, and have yet to acquire a pair.  I found some in Austin back in March when I was down there for TxSC, but they were around $100 and I was feeling too frugal at the moment to make the purchase.  I tried a pair of Cheap Monday jeans from Modcloth a few months ago, but I got the wrong size (they barely fit over my thighs... whoops!), and then was too lazy to exchange them and just returned them instead.  Anyone know of a great brand that carries high waisted jeans for ladies who have a generous booty and small waist?  Or is that some kind of shangri-la/holy grail?