{From the Archives} You are lovely, and don't you forget it.

Marilyn Monroe on the beach.

Photographed by Andre De Dienes, 1949

Today I (Lauren) had my makeup done at Ulta for this free event they were putting on. I had a lovely day with my lifetime sister, the beautiful Miranda. We had a great time sitting and getting our eyes smokey, lips glossy, pores minimized, and cheeks blushed. We bought new products, beauty balms, and fun girly things that are even more fun to play with and wear when you are with a handful of girlfriends. Dancing. Wearing bright colored wedges. Sipping a raspberry Sparkeltini. Or twirling in a vintage style dress (for example). But even after all the makeup, priming, and prepping, I feel most myself after face washed and skin fair, stripped of powders, rouges, and liners of sorts. I feel most like me, when every imperfection is free to breathe.

This is something I need to remember, and so do you. You are beautiful when you first wake up in the morning. You are beautiful even when your eyes are puffy after crying during You've got Mail. You are lovely even with chipped nail polish and chapped lips. You are lovely when you have a cold and your favorite slouch sweatshirt on, for maybe 4 days in a row. You are beautiful even when you feel that you aren't. And don't let anyone tell you differently. You are you, and you were made to be just that way.

But, it is okay to play dress up. Because you are beautiful even then, and you will be even more beautiful at the end of the night when the mascara runs into the sink, you pull your hair back with a head band, and stick in your retainers. You, and I, are lovely.

Originally posted at my personal blog, on February 25th, 2012-- over here.
For more on true beauty, head on over to thoughts by natalie-- over here.

How to Camp the Rockies.

One of the things I love most about camping is the build up to a meal. Unlike the convenience of a kitchen, cooking over an open stove takes time and patience.  Everyone takes their part in meal prep, and it is one big moment of togetherness, especially once you sit and eat around the fire. On this last camping trip the men won in the cooking department. Obviously our diet was not lacking in meat. Not one bit. For our hearty yet simple meals, we brought along brats, potatoes, and beans for dinner, then eggs, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. Snacks included apples, cherries and sunflower seeds. The other crucial element in camping (and breaking through that morning just as the sun starts to warm up your hands and feet again), COFFEE. Starbucks VIA breakfast blend was delicious. And for some other campers, adding crushed almonds and m&m's to their brew made it even sweeter. 

Happy Camper Thrift Store Buys: Like you, I hate to wear and tear my nice kitchenware. That is why thrifting pots, pans, knives, and camping dinnerware is the best thing for a campout. All of our cookware was found at the Goodwill. And I cannot tell you how nice it is/was to not worry about the condition of these things as they knock about in our offroading ventures and sit on top of homemade  open fire grill. Affordable, up-cycled, and perfect for the outdoor adventure. I highly recommend scoping out your thrift store before your next campout. You may even find the perfect board game to bring along!

Our neighbor Chris was brilliant in creating a grill in our fire pit. Using the grate from his grill back home, he used rocks on the side of the fire-pit to create a little run off grill from the main fire where the brats were cooked. It was so clever because then the fire was open for the big pan to be cooking up something, while the grill kept our meat cooking. Also, another brilliant moment was when a few other campers took warm rocks into their tents for extra heat as the night slipped to 30 degrees.  Do you have any DIY camping favorites? We are going again possibly in two weeks, so share away, I'd love to know some ideas for next time!

Clothing hanger art display.

There is a tiny little strip of wall between the bedrooms in our home. Sometimes the tiniest strip of wall is the hardest to decorate. I never could decide on what to hang.  Leave it blank? Add some flare? A cluster of photographs? A mirror? A strip of polaroids? One single geometric piece of art? Or two? Or three? After much thought, and after cleaning out my closet and happening upon a wooden hanger, I played around with this unconventional art display. I love that there is the option to change out the print at my liking. And I also love the mix of wood and silver with the vintage print. I think this is a great way to display children's art. Especially if at their level, they can change it out themselves! {You may have seen this photo awhile back on instagram. Yes, you can follow me there!}

'Round the Campfire Necessities.

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Camping here we come! This weekend, sitting around the fire, the smell of toasty s'mores, a dip in the lake, and star gazing are all a part of the agenda. And of course, being in camping mode, I cannot help but post about it. Aside from the big items like the necessary tent and sleeping bag, and the items for survival like food, water, and ways to tie them high and far away from the bears (yes, bears!) here are five more items to check off the camping gear list.

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1. The Camping Chair A place to rest your camping soul and the necessity for 'round the campire sitting. If you are wanting a project and a bit of homemade, here is a DIY  for a folding tripod camping stool over at woodandfaulk. 2. Let there be light Say no more to being afraid of the dark. Grab your lantern or flashlight, and practice making your shadow puppets. 3. Dinnerware Those beans, hotdogs, and cup of jo aren't going to hold themselves. I love this set from REI, and actually picked up some mugs just like this for $3 during their big sale that is going on right now. 4. Worn in Flannel Whether it is a vintage, thrifted, or hand me down (or even new) you can never go wrong with flannel while camping out. You can see more of this flannel look over at Happily Grey. 5. Picnic Blanket A place to sit and play cards, take lake side, spread out your grub for mealtime, and stand barefoot without getting dirty and dusty. For a few more tips for camping, you can visit Beth's post over at Dot in the city-- over here. Have a happy Friday!

Color Translation: Blue Skies

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The sky has captured my heart and soul lately. Maybe it is the majesty, wonder, and novelty of bright blue, melting sunsets, and the ever rearranging clouds. I feel like God puts things in perspective a bit for me when I look up at the sky and realize how vast and wide open it is, and how small and singular I am. One moment it is sunny and hot, and the next moment the thunderclouds roll in to put on a spectacle, changing the bright blue to muted grey. This weekend we rode bikes all over, played volleyball at the park, drove up into the mountains, and went on walks. The sky was bright blue, and the neutral tones of the city with its pavement, washed out brick, and other hardwares paralleled the natural colors of the dirt, rocks, fall turning trees, and brush in the mountains. Regardless of the undertones, the blue skies stood out as the beauty of my surroundings. This post translates just that, beautiful blue skies with hints of neutral tones and pops of sunny hues into home design, decor, and style. How have you been enjoying the sky lately? 

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[Above] I love the idea of a painted blue floor. Especially the hue of blue in this design. The Rugs and blankets are reminiscent of a sunset, while adding texture and warmth to the space. [Below] The bright blazer and sky blue necklace are the perfect accessories to go along with a warm and bright smile.

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[Above] Not only is this embroidery just darling, but the clouds cut out of graph paper make this photograph so perfect! The vintage feel of this room, it seems effortless, lived in, practical for a child's space, and that embroidery would be a cute addition to the space, don't you think?

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Bright blue, peely, rusty, and weathered reminds me so much of our ride through Denver this past weekend. I think this tin and kitchen space are perfect color translations.(And I want to know where I can find a dish rack like that green one below!) A color pairing that works flawlessly is vintage sky blue with cherry red (refer to the counter in this last photo and the kettle to see what I mean).

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Maybe the sky where you live has been muted, grey, rainy, or cloudless, hot and blindingly bright. Or maybe you've been stuck inside and too busy to notice. I challenge you to take 5 minutes at least to tilt your head back and peer up at the beauty above you. Cloud watch. Enjoy the sunset, sunrise, or fog passing by (oh how I miss the coastal California fog!) Maybe you'll be inspired like I was, to translate your sky into home design, decor, and stylings. 

Lovely Locks Summer Round Up.

Autumn is here, but I am not quite ready to give up my summer hairstyles. What were a few of your favorites from the season? Here is a look back on a few of my favorites. I was seeing twists, waves, and braids galore. The sock bun and inside out braid I loved the most, and have hopes to master the fishtail braid as my hair grows a bit longer come fall and winter. Have you checked out the series Braids of Glory at Thoughts by Natalie yet? You should--over here!

From top to bottom: Twisted and pinned/ Waterfall braid to bun/ Side pinned waterfall braid/ Boho thrifted scarves/ Flat iron waves/ Waterfall braid to bun. You can read archived posts, Lovely Locks HERE, and Scarves in the Summertime HERE.

{And, on another note: I had my first day of work in the city today! Seeing as it is my very first week at a new job, my free time is drastically cut back, so you may be seeing a little bit of a change around the blog as I transition. I do promise to keep Pearls Poppies Pinkies Up going and growing! I appreciate each and every one of my readers and so love this little creative outlet of mine. There may just be a few changes here and there, ie. a few more articles like this one sending you to my blog faves, highlighting past posts/archives, round ups, or maybe a missed day or two at times! I so appreciate your input and patience during this exciting time in my career! XO, Lauren}

Pearls Poppies PICKERS.

Traveling the backroads of America looking for rusty gold is quite possibly one of my dream jobs. I love the show American Pickers with Mike and Frank, and getting to pick myself when the opportunity comes along is something I never pass up. It happens very few and far between seeing as though I've typically lived in a big city, or near a big city, with slim to none in the "backroads of America" category. And typically the times I happen upon a junk yard of treasure, it is very unplanned. Hence, this Saturday. I tagged along with the men {Matt and our neighbor} for a bit of offroading and to scout out some great camping spots. After a day of bumpy roads, driving through rivers, and Yankee Doodle Lake, we stopped for some food which was right next to a plethora of rusty gold in this little indoor/outdoor shop. I did not buy a single thing, but I LOVED and savored the experience of rummaging through this mercantile junk yard antique shop. And I will definitely go back to this spot. I thought you might enjoy perusing and picking too ("window picking" we'll call it), and gathering up a few tips for braving the rusty venture of a bargain hunting pick...

Wouldn't this chair be great on a big porch or deck, painted navy with mustard yellow striped cushions? It was only $15, which I would have been all over if I had the place or space for it! And note the orange chair in the left photo. It was so darling as well!

Here are a fewTips that I have picked up from Mike and Frank, the American Pickers themselves, which I love to lean on at all picks/ garage sales/ bargain hunts {You don't just have to be on the backroads to do this! Try it out at your next neighborhood garage sale!}: 

• Break the ice with the vender/junk owner by paying the suggested price for the first item. Get the ball rolling and prove that you are serious about buying and know a gem when you see one!
• Save negotiating for the item that is just so-so. If you find an item that is a decent price, and you just love it, buckle down and pay the marked price.
• Bundle items. Find two or three items that you want and offer a single price for the group. When you bundle you often end up paying a lot less and the seller typically loves this because you are buying more of their treasures!

• Look high, look low. Sometimes you won't even realize it until you look up that chairs, photographs, frames, baskets, and light fixtures are right above your head when on a pick. And don't be afraid to look under chairs and in trunks and boxes. Often, antiques and junk are being literally stacked up as the collector or seller is getting more and more in their space, so things are everywhere!

• Venture outside and don't be overwhelmed by junk. Often, there is something so wonderful hidden in there that is hard to see from just scanning the outdoor area. Things kept outside get rusty and peely from weather, but be optimistic about a fresh coat of paint or some tuning up! These are the deals that are the best finds, because outside junk is big, bulky, and often overlooked by the average passer by. 

• Have a pickin' buddy. There's nothing better than having a partner in crime to sift through junk with. A second set of eyes can find things you might pass up, offer good advice, and help you break the ice, bundle, and negotiate. The roads traveled can be long and windy, and having a friend there along with the stories to tell is vital. What would picking be without this essential piece?

Do you have any pickin' adventures to share? Any tips you've learned to rely on?