how pinteresting.

hello, october 31st! time for another monthly round up of some of my favorite {pins}. 

as always, i'm linking up for oh, how pinteresting. enjoy! 

coconut milk + cocoa powder. perfect.

pinned here.

beautiful laura. don't you love her eyeshadow? you could win some here.

pinned here.

great idea for an art journal prompt.

pinned here.

how fun are these jars? (going to be on the hunt for some thrifting to incorporate into my "studio").

pinned here.

spinach, avocado, and goat cheese. yes please!

pinned here.

you can follow me on pinterest here. lots of holiday themed pins are sure to be coming soon!

safe & sound.

since my last post, i can officially say i've experienced my first hurricane. our home has no major damage and we had no flooding (we live 1 mile from the water!). pretty amazing!

sunday night, we packed up the essentials to head over to a friend's house higher & more inland. 

{makeup remover wipes, toiletries, my art journal & an envelope of secret messages}

our beautiful host, mary beth, cooked the most delicious chicken and rice soup (simmering on the stove minutes before the power went out). we shared the meal by candlelight. 

i truly found so much peace in art journaling last night. the winds were gusting as we listened to a crank radio. and i was cutting, and gluing, and arranging...

a huge tree uprooted by our friend's home. so grateful it fell that way.

today i got the urge to clean and bake. nothing like homemade chocolate chip cookies.

these were two of the most famous pictures from our city here in connecticut. lots of flooding, trees down, damage to homes and many families still without power. 

{source}

as i intermittently sneaked a peak at instagram, twitter or facebook throughout the past few days (trying to conserve my cell phone battery) i was overwhelmed with the amount of love + prayers people from all over the world were sending me. i could feel the well wishes and intercession. i am grateful for the beautiful community of women i have found online. thanks to each and every one of you. <3

i am continuing to pray for those with damage to their homes and who remain without power. grateful to be snuggled up in my own bed tonight, with a roof over my head, safe and sound.

{preparing}

hello lovelies. i'm laying here next to my napping husband, as my laundry is drying, making a mental list of everything we need to pack. yep, we are evacuating our home due to the impending hurricane. {seems weird to even type that word.} being from the midwest, this is a new concept for us. 

i'm not really sure how long we will {possibly} be without power. but we are staying with friends tonight until the storm passes through. {makes it sound so calm & friendly, right?} this might be a quiet week around here on the blog. excuse my absence, if so. <3

in other news, my hair was transformed with some new color for a new season this weekend. i'm loving the dark shade (it's actually a burgundy color. can't really tell in the picture).

i wanted to give a big thanks to all who linked up on friday for {bits & pieces}. i appreciate you stopping by and sharing your posts of beauty and joy. 

for those of you who are fellow east coasters, be safe this week! 

i will share a new post as soon as i can! lots of love to each and every one of you who continues to follow along here. i'm truly grateful.

bits & pieces.

hello and welcome to the weekly link up here at style of a songbird, called bits and pieces where all are invited to share their posts that highlight the moments of warmth, light, love and beauty from our week. there are no requirements for posts that can be linked up, just those written from a grateful heart.

one // saturdays have become my favorite days. inspiration + [re] connection + calm.

two // a challenge from my tea bag: appreciate yourself & honor your soul.

three // new art journal page. "it’s not just about where your dreams will take you, but where you will take your dreams."

four // autumn awakens my love for candlelight.

five // the leaves were dancing on my way home from work.

i'd love for you to link up below and share bits of goodness and pieces of delight from your week.

a new cadence to my days.

{source}

a lot of the secret messages i've been hearing whispered to my ears and appear gently before my eyes lately are "just be yourself," "trust your heart" and like the bird proclaims "sing your own song." when i see something repeatedly, it prompts me to take notice. it seemed as a result of declaring,  "i’m blooming where i’m planted," new opportunities magically appeared before me.

　

part of embracing "me" in this season is found in the new role i'm playing and the rhythm and cadence of my days.

i've gone from sleeping in, hosting "play" dates, hours nestled by the fireplace at starbucks, and afternoons spent art journaling...

to early morning commutes, spreadsheets, staff meetings, and "business casual."

this translates to less time spent blogging and connecting with others online. i’m mourning the loss of the freedom of the last season, all the while embracing the possibilities and opportunities that await me here.

my arms are wide open to receive all that this next season of my life has for me. i am singing my own song, blogging when i can, about what inspires me and makes my heart beat faster.

so, bear with me, dear songbird followers. i may not be posting every other day as i was able to do in the last season of my life, but i’m here. and i’m present. i’m not forcing posts just to meet a standard set by no one.

i so appreciate your support. every comment is a treasure to me. thanks for stopping by and making my corner of the internet a home away from home for you. i pray you continue to feel welcomed & warm.

so much love,

links to love.

happiest of mondays to you all. this weekend was a wonderful time of creating, recharging and relaxing for me. i got to google chat with some of my kindred artist friends on saturday. so great! here are some links to check out as you ease your way into a new week.

taking the links i love to a whole new level this week. ten things i l o v e...

love this post: {get real}.

love this idea for a fun fall snack.

what a lovely & inexpensive craft idea!

love this blog. love this recipe idea!

love the pop of red.

what a lovely idea.

what's not to love about leaves?

have a favorite word or phrase? love these customizable necklaces.

mmm. i love vanilla.

how pretty is this? {love}.

bits & pieces.

welcome, weekend. so glad you're here again.
i love sharing a few glimpses of beauty from my week:

one // i started my new job last week & jeremy came and surprised me with flowers on my first day. he's the sweetest. <3 

two // i love these two strong & mighty men. junior came to visit us as a friend, but he left as our brother.  

three // nothing better than a skirt & boots.

four // my co-workers and i took the "live united" motto very seriously this week.

five // my beautiful orchid.

i'd love for you to share your moments of beauty, joy and life from your week!

wishing you the most wonderful weekend you've had in a long time. <3 

fall fashion // patterned skirts.

happy thursday everyone! hope this post finds you having a wonderful week. this is the last part of the fall fashion series here at style of a songbird. hope you've enjoyed it as much as i have!

this trend is just plain fun. although i'm a huge fan of neutrals, it just doesn't get better than wearing a piece of art around your waist. my favorites are the orange paisley and the bottom left khaki & black stripes. 

the great thing about patterned skirts for fall is you can pair them with layered solid pieces like a button down, cardigan or blazer. {and a great pair of boots, of course}. 

do you own a patterned skirt? will you embrace this funky trend this season?
{previous fall fashion series posts are: here, here, here and here}.

my life as worship.

this is alicia. isn't she beautiful? {those eyes. wow.}

alicia writes:

Right in this moment, I believe that my life is worship. The things that I do in each sacred second can be holy and sacred. I am not so removed from all that is Divine and sweet, even as I sit in the car and read the words on a CD case, even as I stare upon the flaming trees and hear the sounds of laughter from each of my kids.

There have been moments when I’ve dismissed so much. Separating the sacred from the routine, the minuscule from the majestic. It all looks very different to me now.

i couldn't agree more. she has sparked a revolution of recognizing the sacred moments of our everyday lives. and she invites each and every one of us to join in. 

simply use the hashtag #mylifeasworship on twitter & instagram (or post on facebook) listing the glimpses of Divine beauty that surround you. 

some of my favorites: 

holding hands as we fall asleep 

taking my time 

hearing a song in a whole new way

thinking how good it feels to share with someone else

breaking in a new planner

clearing my head with a walk down an Oklahoma red dirt road

the way she wears what she feels happy and comfortable in

cleaning the space next to my bed

a hot shower in the middle of the day

{shared from @aliciat, @thelovelymessy, @rootsofshe, @stargardener, @laurawingfield instagrams & tweets}. 

you can find my documentation of #mylifeasworship on IG & twitter under @eesimpson. and follow alicia on her blog here. God is everywhere, i've found that we simply have to open our eyes to the awareness of this. <3

fall fashion // military jackets.

{if you missed the previous fall fashion series posts, you can find them here, here, and here.}

i own one military jacket, and it's often my go to piece if i'm in a hurry. it adds a bit of spunk rather than just throwing on a hoodie. i've seen the military style on nearly every fall fashion must have list! here are a few of my favorites:  

// everyday olive   // dressy zippered   // formal structured

// cropped fun  // sleek leather

which style is your favorite? do you already sport the military jacket trend?
happy weekend!!

bits & pieces.

*phew* has anyone else had a crazy week? i started my job on wednesday at the united way and love it already! {shout out to my girl charmaine}. i have awesome co-workers. i feel so fortunate to have landed such a great position actively involved in impacting the community.

i love welcoming friday with gratitude each week. these bits & pieces posts are some of my favorites. it's a challenge to myself to capture the small moments of beauty each day. 

one // one of the last days of seventy degrees.  

two // "hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul." {emily dickinson} my feather from last week ended up in my art journal.

three // spent saturday morning at the beach. as i was leaving, thought i would look for another feather(s). all at once, dozens of birds swooped down at flew in circles around me. it was magical.

four // my art journal traveled with me to the beach.

five // one of the first boot & sweater days.

you are invited to share bits & pieces from your week below. i would love for you to join in! {thanks for those who shared last week! can't wait to see how this grows week by week.}

i truly love sharing beauty & joy from our weeks together. thanks to each and everyone of you for taking the time to link up! <3 wishing you a wonderful weekend!

links to love.

hello lovely songbird readers! enjoy this list of links i've been drooling over, adoring & bookmarking lately! 

not a huge pumpkin fan, but these sound great.

the permission slip. SO good. so refreshing. 

gosh i'm so glad i found her site. she makes the most beautiful pages.

yes, i do need one of these. or maybe a few. 

oh how i would love to be this organized.

word.

so excited to have won the beso giveaway on her adorable blog.

how to choose the right necklace for various necklines. super helpful!

a healthy & delicious no bake snack.

such an important reminder to take the time to comment.

discovered a new adorable blog through laura's giveaway.

wishing you love, joy & laughter today! <3

sweet release.

{source}

the idea of letting go and release has been on my mind and heart lately. and it's shown up in "secret messages" in quite a few places. {i love that}.

she shared an incredible art journal page with this caption, "in the release you became."
and one of the prompts for the art journaler was "i'm letting go of..." and "i'm embracing..."
then there was this post, some of the most powerful, raw & incredible poetic stanzas i've ever read on fear, freedom and redemption.
and i've seen the quote in the image above too many places to count. 

so i started taking notice.

{source}

i sat in my "studio" on friday night and thought to myself, i can't imagine my life without art journaling. what took me so long? it's one thing to have thoughts & even conversations about your life, your emotions, things that piss you off, make you cry, cause you to jump up and down. but there's something so tangible & satisfying about writing it down. putting it on the page. it brings my thoughts to reality, gives them a shape and a color. i've found such a sweet release in "getting it out."

so on that note, here's my response to the art journaler prompt:

{if you are new to style of a songbird, i art journal in a method called "altered books." i buy old books at goodwill & use them for my art journal. it's so fun to incorporate some of the phrases from the book into the page.} 

some of the key phrases:

i'm letting go of...

are we there yet? {needing to know exactly where i am on the journey and what's around the next corner}

voice of opposition {could be others or my own voice}

i just wonder if i'm enough {i think every woman faces this. in so many aspects of our lives} 

must-do {as much as i love making lists, they can be so daunting and guilt ridden}

too late {it's a lie}

skin perfection {may sound incredibly vain, but my moods have been determined by the blemishes on my face.} i'm letting it go...

the words incorporated into my page from the original book: 

don't go too far

worry

storm blowing 

dry season

go to sleep

shut up

quite black

i'm embracing...

the freedom to be vulnerable {admitting the "letting go's" is a good place to start}

yes {three powerful letters spell one life altering word}

paths less traveled {may be lonely, but i'm never alone}

mystery {this takes incredible bravery}

breathe {a deep inhale & slow exhale can make all the difference}

unlimited {taking the limits off of myself, my expectations, and my dreams}

the words from the original book: 

one of the gang {it feels so good to belong}

laughed so much

my life was worth

she sat smiling

flowers in her hair

it was romantic

this past week has been a time of  reevaluating. knowing what's mine to carry and what i don't have to accept merely out of habit. 

what are you letting go of? embracing? {i'd love to know}.

with so much love,