meet our sponsor: dreams & drifters

time for another interview! i love interviews because they can introduce you to some pretty amazing people. the spotlight today is on mandi from dreams & drifters, a self-proclaimed music fanatic, crafty lady, and mama extraordinaire. and if i may add one thing, stylish lady. seriously, i wouldn't mind having her dress me. okay, here we go!

1. tell us where you're from and where you currently live. I've spent almost my entire life in a little town called Amherstburg, which is located just outside of Windsor, Ontario. It's a good place to grow up or raise kiddies, but I try to spend as much time in the city as I can. It seems so full of possibilities and adventure when compared to my tiny hometown. I also spent three of my teenage years living a few hours north, in Guelph, Ontario, which still holds a huge piece of my heart.

2. what is your favorite memory from childhood? We lived in quite a few different houses as I was growing up, but there is one that has always stood out in my mind. It was an incredibly beautiful, and very old house. We had a big backyard with a playhouse, and wild strawberries which grew in our garden. Many of my earliest, and most pleasant memories were spent in that yard. I have two strawberries tattooed on my chest as a reference to that time of my life.

3. tell us about your personal style and your fashion icons. My personal style is a bit of a mix. I'm attracted to anything overly girly, frilly, pastel and lacy. I also find myself drawn to 'boho' and earthy styles. My biggest fashion icon is Nicole Richie. I've never seen her look anything short of amazing.

4. what are some of your hobbies? Unfortunately, I have more hobbies than I have free time lately. When I do get a spare minute, I love sewing, crafting, playing dress-up, reading, thrifting, baking, dancing, nature walks, live music, and um, plenty of shopping.

5. if you came into five million dollars tomorrow, what would you do with it? The first thing I would do is spend some time traveling with my mister and our little girl. I've done a fair bit of traveling in my time, but I'd still like to explore Europe and Australia. Once I got the wanderlust out of my system, I'd build a small, solar powered community of cabins, to house myself and my loved ones.

please tell us five things about yourself that we don't know already.

- I enjoy the company of animals more than that of people. I can be quite shy, and I feel like animals understand me better.

- I don't have a middle name. My parents thought they'd give me the option of choosing my own when I was old enough. When I was four or five, I began demanding that my middle name be "Tree", so I was never given one. I still think Tree would be a pretty good one.

- I spent the first 12 years of my life as an only child, then within the next three years I accumulated a half-sister, two step-sisters and a step-brother. Luckily for me, they're all pretty awesome.

- I've had the same best friend since I was four years old (except for a brief stint as enemies in grade seven.)

- I'm usually lost in my own world. It might sound charming, but as a result, I'm very spacey, clumsy and oblivious to my surroundings. I find myself saying "Oh, I didn't notice." several times throughout the day

meet our sponsor: sadie rose

if you look over to the right, you'll find sponsor buttons from fellow bloggers and shop owners. be sure to go say hi if you get a chance! today's interview is with sadie rose, blogger and owner of the eclectic shop sadie deluxe on etsy. sadie's shop is filled with a collection of vintage clothing and accessories as well as handmade items from her line "lost boys and lovers."

1. tell us your name, where you're from and where you currently live.

My name is Sadie Rose - I'm originally from the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe, and then I spent college and the 5 years after that in Oregon. Now I'm back in Northern California, surrounded by fruit trees and flowers and endless sunny skies.

2. what are some of your favorite hobbies?

Clothes times a billion. I love to find, fix, and sell vintage, and I also reconstruct anything and everything. Textile art is what I love spending my time on. I also make jewelry and accessories - another hobby that I love. Other than that, I don't have time for too many hobbies...I'm also a mom, so I spend much of my time raising my sweet little boy, too.

3. because we all love a good laugh, tell us an embarrassing story about yourself.

Oh jeez. I try to avoid these things as much as possible. I suppose what first comes to mind is this: a while ago, I sent an ex-lover a sort of dark and steamy email. The next morning, I had a reply to the email - but it was from the female web developer that had been hired by the company I worked for (I had been corresponding with her, and somehow her email address popped up in the auto function, and I didn't notice). She simply said "Sadie - I don't think this was intended for me."

I COULD HAVE DIED!!!

You never realize how ridiculous your sexy emails are until you realize they've been read by the wrong eyes.

4. what are some of your favorite blogs and daily reads?

My absolute favorites are by people who I know, or who I've come to know through the Etsy community. My latest daily reads are Urban Revisions, Scout & Catalogue, Gather, and The Girl Who Married a Bear.

5. where do you find fashion inspiration?

Everywhere - especially the internet. I'm constantly taking notes when I'm out in the world, too. Watching who wears what, and how. In Chico, I'm surrounded by lots of reconstructers-of-clothing, so that's cool. Online, my tastes vary. I love the vintage bohemian Northern California look, and my favorite of these is Nicole of Flaming Hag Folkwear. She puts together the most amazingly killer outfits ever. But sometimes I do get a little nostalgic for the classic hipster-ness that I was immersed in up in Portland, and then I'll usually browse through the archives of Urban Weeds.

6. please tell us five things you think we should know about you.

five whole things!? well - i love cleaning (it makes me feel good), and i rarely brush my hair. i don't really like to drive and i longingly dream of owning a clawfoot bathtub (or two - one for outside). and finally, i lost a spelling bee in high school because i spelled "rhinoceros" wrong. I'm still a little bummed about it.