Outfit #25: Potion Bottles and Totoro

Skirt: H&M // Shirt: Thrifted // Belt: Thrifted // Hat: H&M // Necklace c/o Rainbow Darkness // iPhone case c/o // Shoes: Litas by Jeffrey Campbell

It's a lovely mellow day. I am writing this from the cafe where Daniel works, just editing photos and chilling out. I still have a persistent cough that is really frustrating and means I can't really do anything to exert myself. I had to miss out on a good night of expensive beer last night because of all this lung butter (ew, I know).

I am madly in love with this skirt. I got it at H&M last week and they only had one in my size. Upon finding it, I told my bestie Becki: "This skirt makes me feel the way I feel when I first meet a boy". No, seriously.

My Mom is Awesome: Dory McIsaac & Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue

I don't mean to brag, but my mom is kind of a big deal. I know, I know, lots of kids think their parents are awesome, but my mom actually IS AWESOME. Would I lie to you? She's a personal hero of mine, a strong, incredible woman that I look up and admire. I want to embody her strength of character, her perseverance, her unwavering dedication to what she thinks is right. Simply said: my mom is a badass.

A few years ago my mother founded Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue Inc, a non profit wildlife rescue that specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of ungulates (deer, moose, elk, etc). Whenever I visit my parent's place in the hills of Northern Idaho, there are fawns everywhere and my mother working her butt off to make sure she is the momma they never had - literally.

I asked my mother if she would be willing to answer some questions for my blog, and she was more than willing.

Molly: What inspired you to start Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue?

Dory: I have always had a deep love for animals...all animals. While living in Alaska for more than 20 years, that love of animals led me to an almost obsession with the majestic moose. I learned all I could about them... including what it takes to successfully raise a moose calf for release back into the wild. We had many a needy orphaned moose calves on our property each year. After moving to Idaho, I contacted the local Fish & Game after hearing a radio report of a moose calf stuck in a basement window well in Pocatello. The report mentioned that it was not known where the baby would be taken to be cared for, as there was no sign of the mom and it was too young to be released back into the wild on its own. My offer to take in the calf and care for it until it was old enough to be "soft released", was met with the answer that it had already been placed in a "drive through bear viewing" facility near Yellowstone Park. I told Fish & Game that if ever the need were to arise in the future, I would be willing to take in any orphaned moose calves. (It was learned a couple of days later that the calf had died at the bear facility). The following year, I received a call from F & G of a set of orphaned, newborn, moose calves. They were followed by a tiny, orphaned mule deer. Then another mule deer fawn... Mystic Farm Wildlife Rescue has continued to grow and expand every year since.

Molly: Was this something you have always wanted to do?

Dory: Not consciously. I know now that I have always wanted to do this...just wasn't sure where, how, when, or even why! Now, I know it is my calling. I can't see myself ever giving this up or doing anything else.


Molly: What's your primary goal with the rescue?

Dory: The primary goal is the ultimate goal...to get the babies back in the wild where they belong. Period. All of them deserve a second chance. Without Mystic Farm, most of them would be eaten by predators or dead from starvation. As far as where is the rescue operation going? It is only growing...so much so that we are continually expanding to meet the needs of not only the immediate area, but of the state.   

Molly: What have been some of your most rewarding triumphs?

Dory: So many... One little fawn pretty much sums up what this is all about...the triumph and rewards. She was brought to me hypothermic, limp, and lifeless. She had been discovered alone and abandoned in a small patch of woods adjacent to a subdivision. It was assumed the mother was probably killed by a car, leaving a near newborn fawn to fend for itself. After wrapping in warm blankets, being placed under a heat lamp, and slowly dripping small amounts of fluids down her little throat, she held her head up...a full 24 hours later. Now, three months later, she is part of a small herd of 10 fawns. I can't tell her apart from the others. She is in the middle of "soft release" and is a great success story. Now, that's a happy ending!

Molly: How many babies do you have right now?

Dory: Right now at Mystic Farm, we have 17 babies - whitetail, mule deer, and elk. All are in the process of being soft released back into the wild. 

Molly: How do you acquire the orphans? 

Dory: Every year, baby elk, moose, and deer (ungulates) are orphaned and/or injured due to the mom being killed when hit by a car (and/or the baby being hit - a young elk at our facility now was hit by a train), injuries from predators (we've had everything from a fawn that was picked up and then dropped by an eagle, to a newborn fawn that was stepped on by a cow shortly after birth). Unfortunately, way too many of the orphans that end up at Mystic Farm are due to well intentioned (or sometimes not so well intentioned) people picking up newborn calves/fawns, either thinking they are abandoned or even worse, thinking how fun it would be to raise their own fawn/calf! A major part of Mystic Farm is education...informing people to NOT pick up babies when they find them. The mother is usually nearby.

Molly: You single handedly run the entire rescue by yourself. What are some of the challenges that come with this?

Dory: I have been fortunate to have volunteer help now that the rescue is growing. It's a bit of a dichotomy...we want as little human contact with the animals as possible, but yet it is a tremendous job for one person. As the rescue is expanding, I am able to delegate more and more duties to volunteers. Mystic Farm has been approved for an intern through the University of Idaho for next season. That person will be assigned a particular group of fawns, for example, and care exclusively for them.The every two hour feedings of the newborns ('round the clock!) may not be such a challenge in the future!

Molly: You are 100% community and donation funded. Where can readers of the Geeky Peacock go make a contribution or help out in some way?

Dory: Mystic Farm has a website with a Paypal link. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit. We are presently in the running for up to $8000 from a local charitable give away contest. I urge everyone to vote for us in the Parker Toyota contest. Voting is only until the end of September (this Sunday!), and is only one vote per FB account. 

Please vote (it only takes ten seconds!) to help my awesome mother win the money the wildlife rescue so desperately needs. Click here to vote.

See? Told you my mom was awesome. She's essentially a Disney princess! 

All of the photos included are photos I have taken of the various babies my mom has rehabilitated over the years.

Outfit #24: Bow Ties Are Cool

Dress: Forever21 // White Button Up: Vintage // Hat: H&M // Shoes: Litas by Jeffrey Campbell // Doctor Who iPhone Case c/o

I have been incredibly sick for the last two days. Like not change out of pajamas, whine constantly, and play video games for nine hours straight sick. Like waterfalls of snot and burning fevers and wanting my mom sick. Thus, I obviously did not actually put clothes on, and therefore the main subject of this blog was unprepared. Alas!

However, I'm feeling SLIGHTLY better today, so I decided to dress EXTRA cute today to make up for the last two days of misery and hair sticking straight up. I am going to continue to suck down kale and fruit smoothies until I begin to feel a little less like death warmed over.

Geeky Fashionista Profile: Brea Grant

I met the incredibly talented, breathtakingly beautiful Brea Grant a few years ago through an ex boyfriend. The ex boyfriend was complete rubbish and thoroughly smashed my heart into itty bitty pieces, but Brea was definitely one of the best things to come from that relationship. We don't see one another outside of cons (she lives in LA and I in Seattle), but when the two of us get together it's like oil and fire. We have a ridiculous amount of fun, causing trouble and generally being silly and having the best time we could possibly have.

That's why she was one of the first people that popped into my brain when I thought about who to feature for this week's Geeky Fashionista Profile. She's eloquent, wordy, fascinating, intelligent, and well dressed on top of all of this. You may remember her from her roles in Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Dexter... or you've read the comic she wrote with her brother, We Will Bury You. However you are familiar with this awesome lady (or even if you aren't!), there's no denying she is a very interesting young woman rife with talent.

Me: You have made a career out of being geeky, gorgeous, and well dressed to boot. What makes you a geek?
Brea Grant: For some reason, starting my career playing a geeky character on Friday Night Lights got me some acceptance in the geek community. For me personally, I've been a comics fan for a long time and started writing them myself a few years ago. I'm also a diehard horror and sci-fi fan - movies, books, tv shows. I'm a little obsessive. But in general, I feel like I geek out WAY more when I meet a comic artist or writer that I admire than when I meet someone on a show I watch (even when I watch it religiously).

Me: Have you always been fashionable?

BG: I've always had my own sense of style. Not sure if you can call it "fashionable." In fact, you probably couldn't. I shaved my head when I was 14 and wore skater pants even though I didn't skate. And that really solidified me as a little weird in my super small East Texas hometown. In college, I wore wife beaters and crazy skirts all the time, like polka skirts or super short red minis. And I had short blonde dreadlocks. I think a lot of my fashion choices came out of a sense of rebellion rather than an interest in fashion.

Me: How would you describe your style?

BG: Girly, vintage with an edge.

Me: Where do you like to shop for clothes and beauty supplies?

BG: A lot of vintage stores - my favorite is a place called Lemon Frog in LA. But I also love places like Crossroads where the clothes are used but much newer. I'll hit up Forever 21 and H&M as well. I'm also a fan of borrowing my friends clothes. I have a friend who never throws away anything so I feel like I can always find something awesome in her closet. I'm a fan of digging for the exact right thing no matter where I am. 

For jewelry, I like to wear things that are memorable to me - they usually mean something special like a necklace from India or a bracelet my boyfriend gave me. It's nice to have a piece that starts a conversation.

Me: What's the appeal of vintage?

BG: It's unique and you know no one else will be wearing it. For me, it's also built right. I am a tiny girl with big boobs and a pretty big ass. Vintage clothes are made to flatter that. A dress that would look good on Marilyn Monroe but not Kate Moss is far better for me. I feel like I was born in the wrong era.

Me: You're an actress and thus have to go to events where your picture is taken a lot. How do you like to dress for these sorts of events? 

BG: It depends. I try to plan. I try to wear something I haven't owned too long so I feel new and sexy in it. The biggest lesson I've learned though is to not be scared to change your mind last minute. I'll get all done up, have on the dress I was planning on wearing and then change it all for something that fits my mood more. If you're uncomfortable on the carpet, it's really obvious in the photos.

Me: What's your geeky fashion icon?

BG: I'd say early seasons of Sex and the City Carrie Bradshaw mixed with Layla Miller or Cassie Hack. I love an offbeat vintage look but my punk rock roots always manifest themselves in some way. If I'm wearing a sexy light colored dress, I'm probably wearing a black bra under it. And if I'm going straight up vintage, I'll probably wear some goth-y heels. I mean, I don't generally go for a Cassie Hack-style school girl skirt, but I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Me: What's one clothing article and beauty supply you could never live without?

BG: A necklace and concealer. My long necklaces go with me everywhere and I have big under eye circles that I hide before going ANYWHERE. 

Me: Do you have any advice for fellow geeky ladies who want to dress well and be fashionable?

BG: Do your own thing. If you're happy in it and are flaunting it, people will notice you. I mean, they'll think it's your clothes but it's really your sparkliness they're seeing. If I'm in a great mood, I find it doesn't matter what I'm wearing. Your mom was right - people are drawn to your inner beauty.

Brea and I wrecking havoc on the streets of SDCC!

Brea has an awesome twitter, and you should follow it. Check it out here.

Outfit #23: Wonder Woman

White Lace Dress: Ruby Rox // Cranberry Red Blazer: Vintage // Brown Lace Up Wedges: JustFabulous.com // Tooled leather bag: Vintage // Wonder Woman necklace c/o Comics Salvage // Carousel iPhone Case c/o Petek Design

How amazing is this Wonder Woman necklace?! It's actually made from an old comic book! Comics Salvage makes all of this incredible, fashionable, delightfully geeky jewelry out of old comics and she was kind enough to send me a necklace. I'm OBSESSED. It's so lovely and a great subtle way to wear your geekiness.

This awesome vintage tooled bag was a gift from my best friend Angeline Oliver - she found it at a yard sale! My name's not Jan, but dammit, I will make it be Jan if it means I get to use this beautiful bag.

I love my carousel horse iPhone case from Petek Design. When I was little, my dearest goal was to design carousel horses for a living. Unfortunately, that's a bit of a dying art form. But I still love looking at the incredibly detailed craftsmanship on carousels! They just closed down the one here in Seattle last year and it made me very sad. I wish I could have afforded to buy one of the horses! 

I made blueberry cupcakes last night for my coworker and friend Flynn's birthday today. Everything was going swimmingly until I was making the buttercream frosting - I reached for the vanilla extract and grabbed mint instead! So instead of blueberry cupcakes with brown sugar frosting, I made blueberry pancakes with mint frosting. It was surprisingly not terrible, but I think mint frosting would do much better on chocolate cupcakes (mint chocolate chip!).

Thank you for everyone's lovely comments on my post about my dog yesterday. I loved reading your pet stories! They all made me very happy ^_^

The Love of my Life: Sushi the Pomeranian

When I was 17 years old, I had already graduated highschool, started college, and I was poised to move out of the house. I had always been raised with dogs - big, happy, in love with life labradors - and the prospect of living away from any canines left a weary sort of sadness in my soul. I had owned my very own black lab since I was around 12 - Tidus - but there was no way I was going to move this 80lb beast with me to a tiny studio apartment after he had spent all of his life running wild on my family's farm.

What I REALLY wanted was a little dog. A little dog that was the size of a cat, but didn't make me sneeze and my throat close up the way cats did. But I have zero experience with little dogs - the only ones I had met had been yappy and annoying. So as I do with everything, I started researching. I started reading. I thought Pomeranians and Dachsunds were really cute - Pomeranians because I had seen them in Superman Returns, and Dachsunds just because Dachsunds are just adorable.

I looked into rescues, but as a 17 year old girl on a next to nothing budget there was no way I was going to be able to afford the medical bills all of these dogs needed. That pained me, but I also promised myself I would not buy from a pet shop or a breeder - it would have to be from a family who had bred their dog or nothing.

I started my search in earnest, calling every advertisement for Pomeranians in the newspaper and Thrifty Nickel. My mother was not 100% sold on the idea of her teenage daughter owning a puppy - she continued to insist that I wasn't responsible enough. But I was relentless in my search. I knew exactly what I wanted in my companion - after all, she was going to be with me for at least 15 years. Finally, after months of searching, I called a family that had bred their Pomeranian in order to teach their granddaughter about birth and life. They emailed me two photos - and I was immediately in love.

The photo that let me know she was the one for me <3

The next day, my mother and I piled in her car and drove from Idaho to Wyoming (right on the border) to pick up my new fluffy BFF. I wasn't 100% sure if I wanted the girl or the boy of the puppies, but when I opened up the front door, a tiny bolt of peach colored fuzz attacked my legs, trying to crawl up into my lap. The darker, chocolate colored boy puppy hung back and eyed me warily as I scooped up the girl and she attacked my face with her tiny cherry blossom tongue.

It was love at first sight between the two of us. I kept putting down this one pound ball of trembling fluff and she was trying to get back into my grasp as quickly as possible. She was so adorable I kept looking at her and giggling - it was an overwhelming response to what was essentially a real life anime mascot.

Soon enough, money had exchanged hands and the teensy bebe was mine. On the drive back, she stretched her miniscule body in between my thighs and went to sleep. I gazed down upon that creature and I felt a swell of love that I have never experienced before - I'm pretty sure she had awoken my maternal instinct.

The day she came home with me! Look at that widdle face!

My mother and I spent hours debating names - I was leaning towards the name Ella or Bella (thank goodness I didn't go with that, because Bella as a name is forever ruined for me by Twilight!). My mother looked over at the small little animal in my lap and said: "She's like a little piece of sushi! You could just eat her!"

And thus, Sushi was named. I brought her home, and the two of us have literally been inseparable since. At the time I was working as a Radio DJ at my local NPR station, and she came with me to work, quietly sleeping at my feet in the On Air booth. She came with me to class and slept in my book bag. She slept (and still sleeps!) curled up underneath my chin every night.

It's been six years today since this amazing little creature entered the world. I cannot even begin to express the love and adoration I have for my dog: she has helped me through some of the most difficult emotional times of my life. When I was all alone and grasping myself through unbearable emotional pain, Sushi was licking the tears away. No matter how miserable my day is, the minute I come home to her excited bouncing and face kisses everything is better. Even through the darkest of times in my life, I knew I was loved and wanted and needed by at least one creature - and for that I honestly owe this dog my life.

People can call me a crazy dog lady but I don't care. There is a place in my soul that would be greatly lacking if I didn't wake up with her fluff pressed to my cheek every morning. I'm getting a tattoo of her face on my foot as soon as I can afford it. I love you, Sushi: happy birthday!

Do you have an intense emotional connection with your pet? I'd love to hear about it!

 

Outfit #22: Happy Birthday Sushi!

Dress: Ruby Rox // Spiky Lace up Booties c/o gojane.com // Hat: H&M // Purse: Nordstrom (Thrifted) // Dripping Chanel Logo Necklace c/o Von Trash // iPhone case c/o Zero Gravity

This is my best friend and fluffy partner in crime, Sushi. I'm surprised she hasn't showed up in one of my outfit posts before now! She loves to ride around in my purse like that - it makes her feel like a big girl. And it's her birthday today! She's at the ripe old age of 6. Happy birthday, fluffy BFF!

Outfit #21: So Say We All

Dress: Romwe.com // Shoes: Litas by Jeffrey Campbell // Jacket: Forever21 // Pouch Necklace: H&M

I'm a little pissed off at Etsy right now, because they DELETED MY ACCOUNT. Apparently, emailing sellers and telling them I like their stuff and asking them if they would like to collaborate in some way is spam. Uh, okay. Each message was personalized and I never asked for money of any sort, but WHATEVER. So I am miserably fighting that right now. It really sucks because I have a bunch of half finished conversations/business interactions in my inbox on Etsy, and I can't reach any of these individuals now since I have no Etsy account! So now I appear flakey, and there's nothing I hate more than appearing unreliable. Argh. Have any other bloggers experienced something like this?

Headed to the Seattle Central Community College's amazing fashion show very shortly! Cannot wait to see the amazing student designs (it's all Japanese inspired!!).I'll try and take some photos for you guys.

But until then, want to win the dress I'm wearing in this post? Well, the ever amazing Romwe.com is having an AWESOME contest to win this dress or others like it (same cut, different colors!). They are picking FIVE WINNERS a day! A lot of bloggers I follow have won from Romwe in the past, so your chance is good! Just click here to enter.