Blog Love: The All in the Family Edition

happy monday dear readers!  hope you had a great mothers' day!  i find mothers' day difficult, but this year was different.  i used a mantra:  WWBD?  and WWJD?  i.e., what would buddha do?  what would jesus do?  it worked.  i was my fabulously funny self.  a good time was had by all.  whew hew...high road for me every time! 

i looked at mothers' day differently this year.  as a celebration of women.  mothers, grandmothers, aunts, mothers of furry children, mothers-to-be, etc.  no longer did i feel excluded from this great day.  it is in that vein, that i'd like to continue my celebration of women today, with a very special edition of blog love.  the all in the family edition!  grab your cup of coffee, this is a fun one!  i'd like to introduce (or re-introduce as the case may be, 'cause i think every one knows these fab ladies) some of my favorite bloggers from Ottawa!  each extraordinarily creative, funny and beautiful in their own way.  kim, jen and julia. (respective links will be at the bottom of this post)

meet the fabulous kim.  as you know, kim and i have been friends from the early days of blogging.  i believe she and i first met when i discovered apartment therapy.  i never lurked!  i dove right in even though i had no clue what i was doing.  i didn't even know what a blog was at the time.  i believe i first met kim when we entered the annual color contest at AT, and found each other on flickr.  as you know, i am not using flickr as much as i did in the past, but i still love it (for details see my post on social media below).  

kim is one of those people you like immediately.  she's spunky, so damn cute and courageous.  she adores cats and even though has a large brood, is always adopting and rescuing cats.  and she's a fabulous decorator/designer!  i love watching kim's style evolve.  one of the things i like most about kim's decorating is that even when something is temporary, it's gotta be gorgeous!  i so get this.  i mean you gotta have beauty, even if you are planning a renovation.  renovations take a long time and are muy expensivo.  i don't know how married couples survive them.  i'd have to move into an apartment.  i've watched kim move, renovate, and do quick pretty fixes and i believe there is another huge renovation in the works.  i've watched kim go from using tons of color (like i do).  she loves pink (as i do) and had a pink kitchen for a time.  i am amazed at the speed at which she can paint!  her husband and she are a great team.  he's a great builder.  her style now is rather neutral/ethnic/organic/industrial/rustic chic.  not eclectic, but collected.  it's very very cool.  i also appreciate how she incorporated masculinity when she got married.

kim writes desire to inspire with jo, another fabulous lady.  jo is from australia, and they have never met face to face, although they are the best of friends.  desire to inspire is one of my favorites, i read it everyday!  and i owe a debt of gratitude to DTI.  according to google analytics, the bulk of my traffic comes from DTI.  thanks for linking to me ladies back in the day when no one would!  also, as i stated below, DTI is mega huge, but never made me feel excluded or like crap.  even when i criticized animal skin rugs.  kim appreciates all comments - even negative - as long as you have the courage to own your comment.  don't go negative if you are anonymous.  i think that's a good rule of thumb for commenting any way.

kim writes a fabulous blog with her sister jen called closet rivalry.  it's one of my favorite fashion blogs, and on my daily read list.  kim has a high power very technical job.  i'm a little envious of her programming skills but too lazy to learn.  hey we each have our respective strengths, right?  honestly, i don't know how she does what she does, but i am so glad she does it!  and with such flare!  kim told me in the early days that blogging is A LOT of work.  girl, you ain't lying.  i can easily be at the computer 24/7, but i force myself to unplug from time to time, in an effort to maintain balance.

i adore seeing what kim wears to work each day.  kim can never be accused of being lazy.  she is meticulous with her appearance.  and it's just the right amount of feminine with an edge.  my favorite.  kim and i have been having a ball talking about hair.  i dearly miss my eye makeup, but with kim's encouragement, i have found other ways to be girly. you're never too fat, too old or too anything.  it's fun to be a girl!  and you never need to be jealous, we are each fabulous in our own way.  as you can see, kim has found her unique voice and the world is a better place for her having shared it.  ain't technology grand?

i particularly adore the pic above.  love the alley.  love the juxtaposition of concrete and kim's lovely outfit.  love the vents behind her which mimic the stripe motif.  i also was tickled 'cause i had an outfit like this back in my corporate america days.  i don't think i looked this cute, but hey, we are all fab in our way, right?

i really got a kick out of this pic.  i had these exact shoes (in a cheap payless version).  i adore the black nail polish!  it's only recently i worked up the courage to wear black nail polish.  it looks totally fab with these shoes, and again provides just the right amount of edge.

here's kim in the alley, again looking fab-u-lous!  i love that she's including pics in the alley.  so edgy.  this is one of my favorite looks, ripped up jeans dressed up.  this is the sort of thing i used to wear in college, but we did it on the cheap.  i'd get jeans from the goodwill, rip them up and hand paint them.  people always wanted to buy them.  and dig those shoes.  omigosh.  kim, i neeeed those.  keep up the alley shots girl!

there are so many pics of kim's that i could share, but you probably already follow kim.  if you don't you'll want to.  here is a recent pic from her kitchen.  very different from my own style, except that kim and I both enjoy white pottery.  i adore how kim has styled this shot and have it in my inspiration folder.  i'm not so skilled at vignetting and tend to do very clean and simple.  kim has managed to stay clean and simple, with more objects than i tend to use.  also, i dearly love the organic and earthy touches.  i wish kim and i lived close to each other so we can go thrifting and play makeup and hair.  kim, you are fabulous, you go girl!

next, meet jen.  i believe she is the younger sister of kim and julia's.  she is also a cutie.  apparently, good hair, skin, teeth and legs run in the family (their mother is also gorgeous).  as i mentioned above, kim and jen write closet rivalry together.  jen has what i think is the most difficult job in the world - she's a stay at home mom.  her daughter is too cute, so you get to see pics of jen with her and they are delightful!  jen is a natural beauty, and has a cute, simple style.  i am always amazed, i'd probably look like something the cat dragged in if i had to care for a toddler.  not jenn, she always looks fab.

an exciting bonus is that jen is pregnant with her second child!  and guess what?  she's cute as a button even preggers.  oh btw, jen - kim kardashian called.  she wants to know what she should wear tonight.  kim kardashian is another fabulous woman, but she's got nothin' on jen.  it's also been great fun talking hair with jen.  i love a girl who can talk hair.

furry children are a big part of the sisters' lives.  i think jen looks absolutely adorable in this pic.  wait hold on...what's that kim kardashian?  oh jen, kim says can she borrow that dress tonight?   p.s. jen, can we see some pics of your home?  thanks love, you are fabulous.

next meet julia.  kim's twin sister.  she is also fabulous.

she writes a blog called the boo and the boy.  it's a delightful blog.  i've linked to it many times on this blog.  julia also has great style, i loved her recent bedroom renovation.  i've cried with julia and prayed for her husband many times due to his illness.  and i am watching her kids grow like weeds!  julia shares some of the things they say, and they are wise and hilarious!  and even though i'm not much into kids' decor, julia shares some kids' rooms that i enjoy and have found inspirational.  i swear i would buy stuff from pottery barn kids for me!  julia can talk hair too, and changes her hair a lot.  i love when she died it bleach blonde.  p.s. julia, i call my nephew boo!

as you can see julia is a hot mama too.  like i said, the good looks run in the family.  i believe - if i am not mistaken - that they also have an older sister.  i must ask kim if she has a blog.  (update:  received email from kim, no other sisters.  i probably got confused but didn't want to leave any one out!)

who needs reality shows when you have fabulous blogs like these to read?  i often find (extra)ordinary women so much more interesting than celebrities.  ladies, i feel like you are my friends.  thanks for always being a source of joy and inspiration.  i hope you all enjoyed your mothers' day.  and always remember, i am fabulous and so are you.  

want more fabulousness?  here's the links!  xo

Desire to Inspire

Closet Rivalry

the boo and the boy