Happy Halloween!

Huzzah! Ending the month with this lovely holiday that the kiddies all enjoy! Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween! Don't eat too much candy and make sure you look both ways before crossing the road! (Seriously though, dangerous stuff.) I wanted to post a spooky Halloween song, but this is the best I could come up with. It's kinda spooky, but more then that its just a fun song!

Cherokee Fade- Witchcraft


-Remi

New sidebar buttons!

In the midst of all the Halloween-ness. I've found some time to try and update the look of the blog a little bit. I've been meaning to redo the buttons for quite sometime. Now you can clickty click and go to the Bright-side Etsy shop, see all the music Mondays  check out some photos and projects we've blogged about! I think that they've turned out well. But now I feel like I should redo the banner and make it match the buttons. That's my next project.

I did these a little different then I've done other things like this. I drew them all out first and then scanned them in and edited them in illustrator. When normally I just open up illustrator and go for it. But computers haven't ever been a strong point of mine. So doing it this way was much more efficient.

Photo by: Jake Buntjer

On a random side note one of my favorite artist JOSHUA JAMES is releasing a new album that comes out next week Tuesday! But better then that you can hear the entire thing online before it's released! Plus there's such a good interview with him about the new album. So far my favorite song is Surrender, but I'm probably going to obsess over this album for a little bit so that is subject to change. On top of ALL that you can download his other album Build Me This for FREE! How amazing is that?! Such an amazing artist and an amazing album! He's just a damn good song writer. Check it out. You'll love him!

-Remi

Music Monday: Random Playlist vol. 2

Now every once in a while I just can't really decide what artist to feature on Music Monday. So today my indecisiveness got the best of me and I just decided to do a random playlist. I was going to do Camera Obscurea for today's featured band, but upon listening to there vast discography. It just didn't fit the feeling of October for some reason. So I've decided to save that for a cold November Monday. I think it would suit the mood better. Also it did cross my mind to do a Halloween flavored playlist. But that just seemed too cliche. Plus I'm not too keen on most of the classic Halloween songs, mostly cause I've been hearing them all month every where you go.

So instead I give you a random playlist of songs that I'm particularly fond of lately. I hope you enjoy this semi-cohesive group of songs. Hopefully you'll start to like these songs as much as I do!

Have a spooky week!

-Remi

Rambling Bits

  Yup it's officially upon us folks! One of the more silly holidays that the kiddies all love! I've gotten my costume done. (well mostly done, just a few things left.) Going to my sisters Halloween party this weekend. Which should be fun! I mean, its always good times when you get all the Germaine sisters together. Also fairly loud for the most part. I plan on watching a scary movie this weekend to get in the spirit of the holiday! (Actually I'm probably going to end up watching Practical Magic, because I'm a chicken and don't want nightmares.) Also candy is a must and probably carving some pumpkins!

Hope you're all ready for Halloween, cause man time is flying by and its coming up fast!
-Remi

STOP Motion Videos

I'm such a sucker for stop motion videos. I mean what's not to love? The patience and creative sense it takes to successfully pull of these off is pretty amazing. I always wished I had the patience of a stop motion animator. I've always been keen to stop motion claymation shows like Wallace and Gromit and Gumby. I still love to watch these shows. (Thank you Netflix!) I just love the feel they have to them. I could spend hours just being blown away by videos like these.



I just love this video. Getting the little guy to swim and float though the air like that must have been a challenge. You almost forget for a minute that it's a stop motion, its THAT good. I found this thanks to one of my favorite art blogs boooom!



Now my favorite part about this one is the crinkly-ness of the hair on the horse. I've never heard of this band before stumbling upon the video on THIS music blog. But if they were smart enough to go with stop motion music video then I'm sure they are worth looking up.

Doesn't it look like fun to make one of these!
-Remi

Nifty Findings: Bows

   I haven't always been a fan of bows, but recently I love them! I always thought that they were a bit girly. I didn't really think it matched me very well. Until I saw a mint green polka dot bow! I just had to have it. Mostly because I adore the color green and I'm totally smitten for polka dots. Afterwards I realized that bows  are the perfect thing to make an outfit look fun and not too girly. 

Bows are actually very handy to have around as well. You can spice up any old hairdo with a bow! Makes a bad hair day better almost instantly. (Depending on the bow and current situation you find yourself in.) But  read THIS awesome blog post on how to style a bow in your hair. I'm personally a under the bun kinda girl, but that's just because I'm a fan of the really high bun. (Yes, the word bun is making my giggle a little bit.) 

My newest addition to my bow collection are these two lovely bows form SPRINKLES CORNER. I love these bows so much! They are nice and big so they don't get lost in my thick messy hair. Plus aren't those colors just awesome. Perfect for fall outfits! 

I'm also very certain that I NEED this bow necklace from the lovely shop FREENA. Isn't it just lovely! Bows are so perfect for adding a little something special on to anything! A little girly.. sure. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. Don't fret if you don't have any bows. You can learn how to make one HERE. Which looks super easy, just have to find some really cute fabrics. Or if you want something for your hair you can make THIS bow. That hair comb looks like it's so comfy in your hair and wouldn't pull at all. I'm going to have to make one of those these days and add it to my bow obsession. 

Bows are so cute! sigh. 

-Remi

Costume Update

Wow, time is going by way to fast these days. Didn't it seem like it was just summer the other day and now its almost Halloween?! My costume is coming along quite well. Although I really should get a move on it, since time is running out quickly. I've already got one wing pretty much finished and all the little pieces cut out. Really its the cutting that takes a long time. Now just pinning and sewing. 

I was surprised how heavy they turned out to be. Which is a good thing, cause its getting quite cold lately  The extra layers will be nice. Once I'm finished with the wings I've to get started on my mask. I think I've got a pretty good plan on how I want the mask to look. So hopefully that means I can finish it quickly. 

So many layers! But I'm loving how the colors are turning out. Although I'm supposed to be an owl, but I've a feeling everyone is going to say I look like a blue bird. So, maybe I'll jut start calling myself a blue bird. Hm, well I'll wait and see how the mask turns out. Over all I'm pretty excited how its turning out so far! Although I did recently find THIS old post on A Beautiful Mess Blog. Which looks kinda really awesome. Who knew bird costumes could be so pretty! 

Aren't homemade costumes the best?!

-Remi

Music Monday: Blind Pilot

       Howdy! This week I'm starting it off right with some tunes from Blind Pilot! Now I must admit this is another great band that I've shrugged off until recently. A little while ago I stumbled upon a whole live set that they had done and after listening to that I was sold. There first album was released in 2009 and they've had another one since in 2011. Both are equally fantastic and I'll probably end up buying at some point. Just to have ( yes, I'm one of those that still likes to buy the hard copy of cds.) I just love the feel these guys have. At first I was a little put off by the pop-ness of it. But upon a second listen I realized that just because it's happy and fun doesn't necessarily make it pop. They've got some nice, poetic lyrics and some percussion that just makes it so complete. The rhythm in there songs is what makes it so listenable and is what makes you want to listen to it again. (at least for me.) This kinda sound just feels like Autumn to me for some reason. But the happy kinda autumn. Like lets go a play in the leafs and maybe dance a bit and drink hot coco afterwards. Ok, maybe that's a bit extreme, but still. Good feeling tunes.

"I didn't know I'm not in control
I didn't know I'm not invincible".

-Remi

Parlor Hawk Kickstarter

     Parlor Hawk has to be one of mine and Zoei's favorite bands. They are now trying to make a second album! You can check out there KICK STARTER and help these fellers out on there quest for releasing an album with out a label. Zoei did a lovely music Monday post about them a while back. Ever since she did that post we've both just fallen even more in love with that first album. For some reason it's the perfect fall music. That first album just really sunk into mine and Zoei's souls that one fall. I don't think there is any other album that carries so many memories like this one does. So if there second album is anything like the first, I really want to get my hands on it.

   Luckily for kick starter I can take part in helping them reach there goal. I have backed a lot of projects, but I haven't seen any one as proactive as these guys. I love when they send out messages and follow ups. You can tell that they really care about this project. Which  makes me want to help them even more. So, check them out! If you love what you hear, help them continue on making music and sharing it with the world! Donate what you can! Spread the word about these lovelies!

-Remi

Halloween Costumes

  It's that time of year again! Halloween! Now, Halloween hasn't ever been my favorite holiday. In fact, it's probably my least favorite. I'm a big chicken and don't like being scared and always got way to stressed out trying to find a cute and clever costume. But now that I'm a older I'm finding it to not be so terrible. I know, that sounds way backwards. Since it is a childish holiday and all. I mean candy and costumes doesn't really scream grown-up. These past couple years I've grown fond of Halloween.

Anyways, this year Zoei and I are going to be owls! I first saw THIS lovely pattern off of Pintrest and thought, we could just do it adult size. I then after a little bit of research I found THIS awesome tutorial. Then I found an awesome owl mask! After that it was decided that we'd be owls for Halloween. I've already started cutting out all the pieces for our wings and dusting off the sewing machines. The one issue that I am having with this tutorial is that it didn't really say how much fabric to buy. But that isn't a real issue. It just means another trip to the fabric store. Which is always a bit fun.

Here are the colors I picked for my wings. I still have a bunch of these wing shape pieces to cut out before I can even start sewing. I'm anticipating the sewing to be fairly quick. well, I hope so at least. I like to think my sewing skills are good, but it has been a while. Anyways, once I get a bit more of it done I'll post more pictures as I go. (Although honestly if I mess up on it a little bit, I might not share that with you.)  I'm thinking even after Halloween I'm gonna want to wear mine around. They are just so much fun! And so pretty!

What are you gonna be for Halloween? You're never too old to dress up!

-Mint~Tea

Nifty Findings: Halloween

One of my favorite thing about blogs is all the creative ideas that people share! Here are some of my favorite Halloween findings that just brilliant and creative! 

I think one of the most important parts of Halloween is the costume. The blog OH HAPPY DAY has so many cute ideas! This lady is seriously one of the smartest moms ever! I hope I'm a creative mom like she is! Check out her HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN section. Such cute ideas! I particularly like the little artists costumes. Oh and this strong man costume. So adorable! 

You know whats better then adorable little kid costumes?! That's right, family costumes! Now these bear heads are just the coolest! The three little bears! How cool is that! The ladies at A BEAUTIFUL MESS make it seem fairly easy. They always write easy to follow instructions. I love that they are slightly creepy.  I kinda want to make one just to have. It would probably make someones day if I was just riding my bike around with one of these on. Or if you want something a little more cutesy. HERE is this lovely tutorial on making a cute lion hoodie! So cute, easy to make and will keep you warm and snugly against the fall weather! 

I've never really been one for decorations. But if you're going to have a Halloween party, you need some killer decorations. These swizzle sticks are so easy to make! Check it out HERE! SHRIMP SALAD CIRCUS always has the cutest crafts that are so simple and quick to do! 

How cute is the wreath?! Halloween is one of the holidays that it's just fun to decorate the out side of your house. I love walking around seeing everyone's creep decorations. I love this wreath tutorial from KYLA ROMA's blog. Just a perfect amount of cute and creepy. 

I think I'm starting to enjoy Halloween maybe a little too much. 

-Mint~Tea

Music Monday: Thao Nguyen

     Hello you. It's the beginning of the week. That means its time for some tunes to kick start this week! Today I give you Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. Now, I've been a big fan of hers for a long time. Shes got those albums that you listen too over and over.Then forget about  until a couple months later and you remember why you listened to it over and over. Well this weekend I'm falling in love all over again with her album We Brave Bee Stings and All. Shes just got a unique style. But not so unique that it's hard to appreciate. If that makes any sense. Most of her songs are a bit upbeat, but with somber lyrics. Which is kinda why I love her. Heavy messages being said with a bright tune. It's the contradicting-ness of it all that makes her songs so lovely. She's also collaborated with one of my favorite artists Mirah. They released an album in 2011 that is pretty killer. Although for me it doesn't have the get down stay down feel to it. It's different  but a good different. It was produced by Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards. Which I mean come on, that's just awesome! If you like Mirah and you dig this playlist then I highly suggest you by the collaboration album! Now thinking about it the Tune-Yards and Mirah should really get there own Monday. Well, in due time. There will always be another Monday. 

Hope you have a successful week!

-Mint~Tea

Rambling bits

      Hid away from the world for a bit and didn't drag myself out of bed until outrageously late. Played random chords on the ukulele until my fingers were sore. Surrounded by the loveliness of family in the evening. Started a new book today to drown myself in. Drank way too many cups of tea. Finishing up some blog posts that are long over due, that I will post next week. It's only 10:00 pm and I'm already debating if its too soon to crawl into bed. Maybe I'll  hold out for a little bit and catch up on some correspondence. 

Over all a successful Sunday. 

-Mint~Tea

Nifty Findings: Fall

As you all probably already know, I'm just smitten for fall. Today I'm sharing my favorite fall findings of the interweb! First off how lovely are all THESE ideas from A Beautiful Mess blog. Pumpkin pie milkshake?! How awesome does that sound. Plus a cold fall morning with a bowl of baked oatmeal! Sounds pretty much amazing!

Plus the change in the weather also means a change in clothes! Time for sweaters, scarves, hats and boots! I wouldn't mind having all of the THESE outfits! And I need to get a pair of THESE shoes! They are sure to keep my toes warm! I want to wear more hats this year, maybe something like THIS or a headband like THAT.

But fall is never complete with out a nice cup of tea and a good book. Don't those two just fit so well together? Even if it is a bit cliche. But I need to get myself one of THESE cute, sturdy mugs and some of THIS tea to put in it! I'm still working on the book part. On the look out for something cozy and fun to sink my nose into. Especially with all these rainy days we've been having, perfect cuddle in bed and read weather.

Finally to top off all the fall-ness, some fall mixes! 8tracks.com is my new favorite addiction! I'm in love with THIS mix. Oh, and THIS one too!

Phew! Lots of linky love today! Bundle up and embrace this fall awesomeness before its gone.

-Mint~Tea

Bonus video! (For some reason Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear and the movie the Red Balloon always give me the feeling of fall. )

Music Monday: Daughter

Hello! It's Monday! This fall-ish Monday I'm cuddling up to the somber tunes of Daughter. Now, I don't know much about this lovely lady. But I put her song Landfill on a fall mix tape that I did recently I was surprised that it was one of Zoei's favorite tracks on the mix. (Mostly cause its not really Zoei's style) So I decided I should probably look up more of there tunes. Over all I really enjoy the sound they have. Its kinda of a somber, soft sound that builds on its self. The lyrics are really powerful. Which I love. This is a perfect band to put on in the fall. You can curl up in bed with a cup of tea and let the sickly sweet sadness sweep over you. Hope you enjoy this mini playlist.

Have a lovely week.

-Mint~Tea

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Now, I haven't ever rambled on too much about the books I read. Mostly because I felt like it didn't really match any kinda "theme" I had going with our lil blog. But lately I've just been blogging about whatever I feel like. So today I'm ranting on about Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. 

Now this book has been recommended to me by a lot of my pen pals, mostly cause its written in a letter kinda format. And we all know how fond I am of letters. But then I saw they were making a movie off of it and decided that I must read the book before seeing the movie. I am so glad that I did! Cause this book is one of the better ones I've read in a long time. It touches basically every issue that you might encounter as a teen. Yes, I know I'm not a teen but that doesn't mean that you can't relate to it. Its written with intense detail and emotion that makes it a intense book to read. I found myself crying a lot while reading it. Not because it was sad (well, some parts are) but because the emotion in it was just overwhelming. After finishing I couldn't wait and had to go see the movie. During the movie I was annoyed about how many details they left out, but then realized that it would be a freakishly long movie if they hadn't edited it at all. But man, the movie had me a little weepy. By a little I mean I was a mess. But not because it was sad, I think it was because everyone can relate to that kind of emotion. Or maybe I'm just a weepy kinda girl, who knows. But what I do know is that this is now one of my favorite books and an awesome movie.

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

 Read the book, watch the movie and absorb some deep thinking that it has to offer. 

-Mint~Tea

Lovely Letters!

Hello! Just wanted to share this awesome new project! I'm always looking for letter and snail mail projects to participate in. I'm super excited about this one! This one is a little different from others because you have tasks to do. Or like general guide lines to follow for each letter. Which I love because trying to figure out what to write about is the hard part. There is also a deadline for each task. That is really good for me cause I love to put things off and procrastinate. This way I'll for sure get it sent out! I'm off to start task number one! 

Also check out both these lovely ladies blogs!

They are two of my favorites! Modern Buttercup & Kitty and Buck. 

-Mint~Tea

Music Monday: Givers

Hello lovelies! This Monday we're listening to the GIVERS! I love the happy sound these guys have! It's almost like these guys have to be eating some cynical sparkly cupcakes to come up with these tunes. Their sound is dreamy, punchy and they've got some awesome little guitar riffs. As well as amazing percussion all though out there songs. All topped off with witty lyrics! They remind me a bit of Grouplove, but not to the extent that Grouplove songs are getting stuck in my head. Which is a good thing! Now I must admit these guys aren't really all that unique and you see a bunch of these kinda bands all over the indie pop music scene. And yes, their songs probably have been on some commercials and in TV shows. But in the end I really like this indie pop group! It's happy and fun! I'm probably going to go out and buy there album and dance my face off when I'm feeling sad. If that's not a Music Monday worthy band then I don't know what is. Anyways, check 'em out!

"I'll give you all my gush

You make me feel, you make me blush. "

Happy Monday!

-Mint~Tea