I don't have a 9-to-5 job (But guess what? I'm ok with it.) and living with Mama Sue allows me to work my freelance jobs and have a bit of financial stability while I build my portfolio.

My brother also lives in the house with my mother and me, and he is my best friend.

I love my mom.

With the minimal rent, I am able to SAVE MONEY. Saving is important for student loan payments, food, drunk Friday nights or... more awesome rockstar vacations. 

After graduation life threw me some pretty intense curveballs and living with my mommy makes me feel more safe and secure. 

Sue (my mom) gave me the master bedroom. It has two closets and I have a lot of shoes so that is a huge plus. 

There is normally some weird alcohol in the cabinet that I can steal and normally no one will care. Also I drink Sue's (mom) wine once in a while and she only gets mad half of the time.

My best friend / brother / room mate & I share a car! We call it the Price-Car-Share-Program and it is working nicely thus far, mainly because my brother is so flexible and understanding of my crazy schedule. Living in the burbs makes my life of downtown events and meetings a bit difficult and Kevin is in school at the U so things can crazy but we do a great job of sharing and planning appropriately so that nobody has to miss anything. Also having one car between the two of us which lowers our carbon footprint and helps to create a 'greener' lifestyle.

Some times there is food in the fridge that I didn't pay for but I eat it any way. And instead of a weird girl fight with passive aggressive roommates my brother just punches me in the arm, eats my last pizza roll and we move on. 

When I am sick (and living at home) I am allowed to be slightly more annoying and needy than if I lived with girlfriends. My mommy might not actually do anything for me, like bring soup or whatever but I will not feel bad if I am moaning all night long due to the influenza dry heaves. 

Having three adults that live in one house lowers our carbon footprint by so much, I do think there is a lot to be learned from living on your own but also living with more people in your home equals. Less waste is good, utilization of a home that would be sitting here empty otherwise, I love that this decision means that I have a smaller carbon footprint, regardless of how stupid that may sound to anyone else. 

Some times Sue does my laundry and on even better days she takes me grocery shopping at my favorite co-op and she pays for the bulk nuts that I just love. (Makes the greatest trail mix of all time.)

As much as I try to say it's not true, I AM my mother. Clearly my mother knows me pretty well, and she knows that I am slowly becoming her, so when I am in a bad mood she can tell and she will just not talk to me. I can't explain how much I appreciate this!!!

Did I mention it's cheap as hell?! But not free (so I don't feel like a huge mooch). I have the pleasure of helping my recently divorced mother to pay her mortgage. 

I have LOTS of fun grocery shopping with my brother!

Free cable.

It is ok to be disgusting. Like when I make dinner by mixing together all of the weird shit from the back of the fridge neither my mom or brother is going to loose affection for me as I eat it... with chopsticks. 

The house is nice and cozy with enough room for all of us to have our space when we need it. 

When I have the time and motivation to partake in our society's hair removal ritual (feelings about that found here.) I use the razors my mother buys, because I am cheap. 

I can actually trust my 'roommates' to not use my expensive, all organic shampoo and conditioner, because that is not their prerogative... I hope. 

I am not subject to as much F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) because there are not people around me constantly that I want to be drunk with and having intense best-friend time with. 

Sometimes when you live with good friends, or are just around them a lot, you don't realize that you are NEVER alone, you never get that random thing checked off your to-do list because someone around you in normally always doing something more fun. 

Currently my work is inconsistent but I am lucky enough to have several paid passion projects and if I have to live under the same roof as my mother to make ends meet I am definitely not too cool for that. 

BECAUSE I AM AWESOME NO MATTER WHERE I LIVE and I will love myself forever, even if I live under a bridge with a troll. 


xox, kp

After work I picked my girlfriend Chloe up from work and drove us to Pinstripes in Edina, it's an upscale bowling alley that was hosting the Pop Up Minneapolis event.
We saw Michelle Dustin (Arc Value Village's Personal Shopper Extraordinaire, whom I love), I interviewed her for SOL a while back. Chloe & I and shopped until our cocktails ran out and headed back to Mpls.

Later that evening.. 

My friend Michael proved himself as a man comfortable with his sexuality enough to let me dress him up and attend a midnight showing of ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW! It was epic and I can't wait to do it again! Plus, Brad & Janet wished they looked as good as we did. 

Saturday I was running around picking up different things, doing final garment pulls for Sunday's Sol Inspirations fashion show. I helped my brother format and add some graphic designer elements to one of his user manual college assignments. Then I just vegged out hard core on the couch, spent too much on Twitter and got a good night of sleep.

After months of planning and preparation the highly anticipated Third Annual Eco-Fashion Show produced by Sol Inspirations and hosted by Textile Center, I could not be happier about how it all went. If you stayed tuned to the Sol Inspiration's Facebook Page there will be tons of photos being posted in the next few days. 

I am proud to say that I was instrumental in creating the Nation's First Eco Fashion Scholarship Program and last night was the second installment as we issued another $500 scholarship to a deserving apparel design student. It was actually my favorite part of the event Sunday! The contest is judged by all attendees of the event. The students have to pitch their designs and really sell why they deserve to win. That is what Stacie Yokiel is doing in this photo. Stacie (in stripes) was our winner and in the photo she is speaking to the woman behind her and the girl on the right is her model wearing the coat that Stacie spent endless hours creating for our contest. If you want to meet the other students that were a part of last night's event I wrote a piece introducing them for the SOL website. 

I made the comment to someone that I feel a little gipped at the runway shows that I produce, after I spend months prepping and pulling garments I never get to witness the models stomping it out in the amazing looks that I have put together, because I have to be behind the curtain - being a bit of a puppet master. But the truth is that backstage life is where it's at!!

Honestly this crew was a bit rag tag, we assembled independent stylists, a diverse group of unrepresented models looking for experience and it ended up to be one of the greatest groups of people I have ever worked with. The whole day went so smoothly, I met a bunch of great people and we filled over one hundred seats, so I could not be happier!

I hope your weekend was a success and full of smiles!

xoxo, kp

Last September I was running around spending too much money on printing and worrying too much about 'The Portfolio Show,' a three hour long event that looms over an art student's head for four years. The 'show' as we called it for short was an exhibit of everyone's talents; the photographers put out their pictures, the interior designers their blue prints and fabric samples. Us, the advertising students, we had a-whole-nother ball game to play, within our degree we had to pin-point which pre-approved industry title that we wanted to brand ourselves as, then we put together a portfolio (online and physical) that represented all of the hard work we've accomplished while at school. We were supposed to prove that we were more worthy of being hired than the next graduate. After four years of being built up and broken down those three hours of pitching our work from a fold out table seemed anticlimactic, but that didn't matter because I couldn't have been more excited to be done with the Art Institute forever.

One of my very closest friends, a girl who had more life in her pinky finger than most people have their whole body, a person who made an impression on me from that first day in gym class freshman year of high school passed away Thanksgiving weekend 2012. This loss has been almost impossible to digest, I still don't think I have fully accepted it. I am working on being happy and focusing on the fact that she is no longer suffering from her disease. That phone call will forever haunt my dreams and my heart is as heavy today as it was that afternoon when I got the news that this ray of sunshine won't ever shine upon me again. She is gone and that is something I will forever be sad about but I am so lucky that she chose to spread her love on me while she was here. I have so many memories of my ebullient friend's laugh, so vivid and vivacious in my mind that I know I will carry them with me until the day I join her in the after life.

The second most trying thing I experienced this year was grandmother being in and out of the hospital due to her Muscular Dystrophy, she was also diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year and had a mastectomy. Finding out that cancer, especially breast cancer when you have the necessary equipment, is in your family is terrifying and as much as you are there to support the currently inflicted the fact that you could be next is present in your consciousness. 

My parents announced their divorce in January, which is something that I have barely scratched the service of processing. It was a huge shock to our whole family after almost twenty four years of marriage and I am working on being ok with it. If there is a positive end of the divorce spectrum my family is on it because my parents still love each other and maintain a friendly relationship but their romantic feelings just don't exist anymore. It is a hard thing to wrap my head around and I have spent a lot of time pretending that I'm ok. I am obviously old enough to understand that my parents deserve to find their new happiness but I just have to get used to the idea that our family unit is a bit different. There are awkward moments and strange situations that we have to deal with but between my mom, my dad, my brother and I were are pretty strong, well-adjusted people that will get through this together, it's just a new kind of together. 

From the passing of a beautiful young lady that I loved to the moon and back, to my parents ending their marriage, to my grandmother struggling through a breast cancer diagnoses I have experienced an emotional year since I graduated college last September. I don't have a salary job, I don't have somewhere that I have to be from 9am-to-5pm Monday through Friday. I am sometimes stressed about money, I am doing the minimum payments on my loans but, you know what? I am ok. There are things that I choose not to focus on in this post, this summer I experienced heartbreak and caused someone I love a lot of pain, I was betrayed publicly and temporarily lost the trust of one of my best girls. And I am doing just fine. I am my own best friend and I am working through these things the only way that I know how, at my own pace.

I still get a bit anxious when people ask 'how life is since graduation' but the truth is, that I don't want a nine-to-five job, and the fact that I don't have one is not a sign of my success or failure. I am working on projects that I love. Sol Inspirations is a wonderful non-profit that I have been building for years, and will continue to work with. Project Footsteps is amazing and I get to make a different in the lives of kids. The Foundry Home Goods is a fantastic and thoughtful retailer that I helped get where it is today. But the best part is that these things give me the flexibility to take other gigs, do some Production Assisting, travel on a whim, spend quality time with my family, deal with issues as they come up, continue to educate myself and explore different opportunities. So far being a graduated adult doesn't feel that much different than being a college kid, which is awesome because I loved college. People might look at you a little differently once you have a degree but really you are the same person capable of the same potential and the pressures should be no different: Find your version of happy. I create myself everyday and I am having a great time figuring it all out. 


xox, kp

The stuff you want to hear about started around 7 when my brother, his awesome (and vocally talented) girlfriend and my gal pal Lauren went out to dinner at Rudolph's, delic. Then we grabbed Lgeezay and hit Stadium Pizza. 

I always have a great time at Stadium, my brother and I both used to work there. Don't hold it against my that it is a Packer bar, because I could not care less about football. Our next bar of choice is not my favorite but I do love saying Hi to Jessica Roscoe when I am at the Pourhouse. I will admit that I was intoxicated enough to have a great time, even if it isn't my fave. Stadium, Pourhouse.. can you imagine what bar came next?

I am going to leave the rest of the night to your imagination because I fear that children may have some sort of access to the internet. 

The morning was miserable. Take notes: self inflicted sicknesses suck but you can not complain excessively because everyone knows about the things you did the previous night that resulted in your headache being the size of Texas. Pulling it together is an art form that I have mastered to the point of being able to be some what cheery eyed at a wedding by 3pm in the afternoon.

A good friend of mine from college got married at a beautiful ceremony and a very sweet, classy reception in Hastings, Minnesota. I am super proud of myself for overcoming the nausea and not letting my cray hangover damper the mood of the romantic events. 

From the wedding I drove to my aunt's 50th birthday party, which turned into an amazing sing-a-long that lasted until 2:30am! My family is crazy and I love them more than anything. I call the photo below, Generations of Hair Color and Height.

My Sunday was only sort of spontaneous; After being inspired by Saturday's 
family oriented festivities I awoke well after the sun, but still hella early at 9:45 am and headed to Coon Rapid Ice Center to watch my cousin play some hockey. He is a gallant young skater and it is my pleasure to say that he is my blood, you see hockey runs deep in my family. Both my brother and I played into high school and sports are not a thing to be taken lightly under the reign of either of my grandmothers.

Sunday evening my dad and I went to a movie! I love going to see movies with my dad, I get to have milk duds AND popcorn! Yum. We have a tradition of going to see indie films at obscure theaters, it is fun to see a movies that are deeper than a kiddie pool and don't give it all away in the trailer. 

I ended the weekend by going to hang out with JS & MF we watched Jackie Brown (my favorite Taratino!!) and 'hang wit meh bros!' I am lucky enough to have a very large family of blood relatives but I go a step further and surround myself with an amazing circle of chosen family. Friends are the tactic that I use to make it possible to spend so much time with my birth family, hahaha. Only joking, or am I?

I hope that y'all are as obsessed with your friends and family as I am, if not I think some re-evaluation might be in order. You are worthy of having people around you that make you smile!

xoxo, kp

I have a pretty intensely expressive face and these pictures really do a good job of depicting my feelings about fall. My faces are saying, "Hey Fall, I see you. Your breeze on my neck gives me goosebumps so I wear those, thick, chunky scarves when you're around. Fall, these warm sweatshirts feel so good but this cold weather is so nippy but I look so cute in this bow, so I guess I'll deal with it."

Every piece of this outfit was thrifted. The boots were purchased at a Unique Thrift I believe, the sweatshirt at Arc Value, the awesome Miley Cyrus jeans from Savers. I guess my undies aren't thrifted and I purchased the adorable headband bow in Scotland. I stumbled upon an adorable shop the read 'ECO FASHION' above the door, I sprinted across the street to the horror of my mother (I don't think I adequately looked for traffic) and I shopped, shopped, shopped. The store was amazing and it was part of a program called Impact Arts that creates internships for the youth of Glasgow and teaches them about upcycling. So this fabulous bow was created by little hands and is made out of reclaimed materials! LOVE IT. I put a lot of effort into making sure that my wardrobe has a minimal impact on the planet and BOOM - I still can manage to look adorbs. I'll bet you could too.

Fall is a great time to thrift; Layering is easier when you aren't spending thirty dollars on each t-shirt, that were made poorly to begin with. I am pretty sure I bought this scarf for $3... AND LOOK HOW FRICKEN CUTE IT IS! For those who say it's gross to wear other people's clothes, you are a snob, GROW UP because you are NOT TOO GOOD, live a little, seriously. Keeping things out of the landfill while you also look fabulous is one of the coolest things that you can do. 

Also if retail therapy is an addiction take pride in knowing that thrifting is more environmentally friendly and also less trouble from your budget. 


I love you all, unless you are too cool to thrift cause then we are not friends. 
xox, kp 

PS I know my hair looks awful but, the headband is incredible & I am too cute to care. PEACE.

I was having dinner with my grandparents, pops and brother when I received got a text that read, "WILD GAME SOMEONE COME WITH ME I HAVE A FREE TICKET WITH AMAZING SEATS!" from my girl Shell. The text was within a group message that we have going with a few of our plans. WE LOVE GROUP MESSAGES haha, a lot of people hate the constant flow of banter but it makes it easier to make plans and keep in contact with people that I love. Any way, within two seconds two of us had replied to that offer and I was unfortunately a second too late. BUT luckily my friend Mike is a giant gentleman and he graciously stepped back. Shell and I, two ladies who grew up with hockey in our blood, out on the town, cheering the Minnesota Wild to victory.

My good friend Jonny_Rocket moved to Houston a couple of weeks ago, we have been friends for over ten years and have grown closer than ever over the last year. This weekend he came home to switch a vehicle and tie up a few loose ends. Even though he hasn't been in Texas for very long at all it was so good to have him come home this weekend! Naturally we got the crew together to celebrate his being in Minneapolis and we hung around the house in uptown, then danced a The Loop for a while and ended the evening at Stadium Pizza. 

My dad started with some snuggles followed by a delicious brunch (and bottomless mimosas + bloodys OBVIOUSLY) at Bar Abilene with some gorgeous, intelligent ladies!

Every October since 2005 the Twin Cities have hosted droves of drunk zombies. This year was the first year that I have dawned the undead look and made the pilgrimage of partying walking dead. No idea what I am talking about? Read this. 

After a bit of general maintenance on myself to recover from the night before and then the transformation began. I had a blast doing my own make-up and I was so happy with how it turned out. I wanted it to be gory with a bit of style and I will say that I think I pulled it off successfully! I did my brothers make up first and honestly I sort of made him look like the joker, oops sorry Kev. 

The rest of the regime included a lot of things from my fall beauty post, especially important was the lip scrub after applying it every thirty minutes ALL NIGHT LONG. jeez. 

Another product I had to add after picking up the dread locks that had formed in the back of my head was AVEDA's soothing fluid has organic jojoba to help condition my poor after the torture I put it through.

It is starting to feel normal to slowly eat my way through a full order of onion-cream cheese wontons & pineapple fried rice from Gingerhop in NE Mpls. It is so delicious. 

AMC's The Walking Dead premiered last night, so clearly I watched the last three episodes of last season. I love zombies so it is lucky for me that the world is also obsessed with them right now. (Side note: World War Z the book is far better than the movie.) I didn't however see the new episode of the series because I was picked up in a white stallion and taken to Bunkers for live funk and soul music!

I hope your weekend was filled with friends, love and zombies.

xox, kp

My iPhone 4s was rocking a cracked screen for quite a long period of time, just minor cracks - totally tolerable, but last Sunday my poor phone took a serious digger onto my driveway and shattered to the point that I couldn't handle it anymore. So naturally I googled and Yelp! directed me to solutions. Don'tDitchItFixIt was the third listed on the website but I knew when I read the name of the business that this was the repair shop for me. (Also, it was close and not run out of someone's house - for real that was one of the listed options.)

It is just a few minutes off of highway 100 in Edina, it is a bit off of the beaten path. Once you find 7101 York Ave S you'll walk up a flight of concrete stairs, walk in the front door and take a hard right until you see a door that reads 'stairs.' Go down one floor to the bottom level and you'll come out to a T in the hallway, take a left and then a right, you're looking for suite 55, down the hall on the left. It seems an odd place for this service but it is actually quite cozy.

I knew I liked this business right when I read the name, even though  they weren't at the top of the list on Yelp (3rd I think) but the name stood out enough for me to click it, then upon entering the office building I noticed the LEED certified logo, the acronym stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, this tells me that not only is the service DDIFI provides reducing waste but they have made efforts in other areas to support 'green' business. After a phone is fixed the old parts that are discarded are always recycled. I appreciate when it is convenient, and in my favor, to support organizations that are doing positive things for the planet.

Once you find yourself in Suite 55 DDIFI has a nice reception area, Jeff will be right with you but while they are getting the job done there are nice leather chairs for you to wait in, a big TV, wifi (so you can use all of your other fancy devices while your phone gets fixed). If you are thirsty there is also a coffee maker and water available to you. The only thing that they are missing and that I would suggest getting is a box of kleenex, probably a brand that is sustainably sourced or made of post consumer waste!  

$139.99 IPHONE 5 screen - TWENTY / THIRTY MINUTES

$79.99 IPHONE 4 screen - THIRTY MINUTES

And time is definitely as important as money to me at this point so I am grateful at how short a time I was at the DIFI office. 

DDIFI reduces resources wasted by allowing people that 'new phone feeling' without actually getting a new phone. I went in to Verizon to see when my upgrade was available (not until March) and both an iPhone 5 and 5s are over $600 if you don't have an upgrade, so it was not a hard decision to instead get my screen fixed. Encouraging people to just fix their phones instead of ditching it and buying a completely new one is incredibly eco-friendly. 

When you think about the different petroleum products and metals that go into a cellphone it really makes sense to fix it instead of ditch it. I am not going to ramble on with stats about metals and China but I will give you the tools to learn a bit more. Here is an article on PBS that explains more about the ingredients that make up a cell phone, and one more about recycling cell phones from VB News.

The topic of how fast technology moves is boring and over-dialogued about so instead of complaining about I will just say that my iPhone 4s will be just fine until my upgrade in March. I was tempted, even if just for a second, to purchase a 5s just so I could be 'caught up' to the world but once I put my reasoning hat on I realized my phone does what I need it to do and my money is better spent elsewhere at this point. A phrase I love to throw out there is 'planned obsolesces,' I learned it from Annie Lenard's video 'The Story of Stuff,' it means that products are intentionally planning to become obsolete, which means out of date or passé. DIFI is smart to realize their service's unique-selling-point is that you don't have to get a brand new phone in order to get a new phone, it's as idea that I hope will catch on quickly. 

Andy started fixing phones in his extra time in 2010 and by 2011 he had so much business that DDIFI became his full time job and with the help of his friend Jeff they opened the retail space. You have to love the inspiring story of a local start up! 

This blog post was made possible by the gentlemen of Don't Ditch It Fix It, thanks so much guys! I hope I won't have to come see too soon but it wouldn't be the worst thing ever! And don't forget, once your phone is as good as new don't forget to give them a review on Yelp!


xoxo, kp

1) Because it's fucking entertaining! Seriously... Rob's current hobby.. CHAIN SAW WOOD CARVING? wtf. 

2) Because I honestly believe that they have a functional family dynamic. They communicate fairly openly with each other, yes they bitch A LOT along the way and exploit their family fights for money but at least they want the best for one another and it seems like all the members of the family have a super open dialogue. So many families, especially here in the Midwest, have a problem communicating and being able to discuss delicate issues. In my family I will disclose that things are very surface level for the most part and until there is a ton of alcohol involved it is hard to get on a level deeper than Vikings football. The Kardashians do everything together and have a healthy amount of openness with one another. 

3) I have seen with my own eyes Courtney throw her legs up to her ears and use her very own two hands to pull a baby out of her herself, on two different instances!! 

4) I love Courtney, Kim and Chloe are voluptuous women and aren't ashamed of it.

5) You have to respect business minded women. Kris Jenner is a boss bitch that is making a dollar at every chance she gets because she already 'successfully' mothered half a dozen children. She deserves a career and to feel sexy. 

6) Bruce is a riot! Straight up goof-ball.

Sunday night I decided that it was time I caught up on some films, I rarely binge watch movies and I often feel like I am very behind when it comes to the movies that people are taking about so once in a while I set aside time to watch three or four straight in an effort to make myself more aware of current pop culture.

My friends and I tend to plan movie nights around food and some movie that we collectively want to see but more often than not I don't remember the movie at all because I am too wrapped up in how amazing my friends are. I am the type of person who would rather talk to those around me than pay attention to the plot, I am the person who talks a lot (not in the theater but if in an appropriate space like a living room). I like to ask questions and challenge the characters decisions but it always turns into a discussion that drowns out the movie. 

Sometimes you just need to rent a bunch of movies and watch them alone.  

I love Paul Rudd, he might even be my celebrity ideal (if Patti Stinger ever asks). And don't even get me started on how amazing I think that Tina Fey is. Seriously Tina and Paul would be such cool parents, they are both so cool and these roles are so perfect. 

The plot includes a commentary on Ivy league admissions process, a devastating twist, a seemingly hopeless love story and of course a positive ending. The ending doesn't necessarily end up being what you would expect but it is it's own kind of happy. Fey's character is a strong woman who overcomes heartbreak, a corporate-like, bleak work situation and who listens to her heart. I liked this movie a lot. My favorite character from this movie is Portia's (Tina Fey) mother, is named Susannah (played by Lily Tomlin) a super strong woman, who lives alone and conceived her daughter by having sex with a stranger on a train because she says that you should never need anyone too much. It's perfect for a rainy afternoon or after a scary movie.

The opening scene is amazing and the song it features is even better, Crown on the Ground by Sleigh Bells. (They put on a fantastic show, huge sound and lots of lights. I was lucky enough to see them perform once at First Avenue and then again on the Coachella cruise.) 

The scenes with all of the clothes, the closets - full of shoes, party dresses, everything sparkly were enough to put me in consumerism shock. I love clothes as much as the next girl and a Carrie Bradshaw closet would be ideal but the materialism expressed by the characters in the film was disgusting. Also the casual drug use is a terrible example and I hope impressionable youth take the right message from the film and can see through the glamorizing bullshit. 

James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, the list goes on and on. It's funny, its apocalyptic, it's over the top, it's amazing. I highly recommend you see it!

Also I have seen Spring Breakers and it is horrifyingly, awful, a train wreck you stare at through your fingers with your back arched, but you have to see it. 

Perks of Being a Wallflower is adorable, hopeful and honest, with a smirk of edge.

I am stoked to see A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan iii, Billy Murray is a god among men and Jason Swartzman has a special place in my heart. 

xoxo, kp