Blogger Interview - Little Lady Little City

I'm so pleased to introduce you to Amanda from Little Lady Little City today. Amanda is a blogger, cabin dweller, film-maker and road tripper! I've asked her some questions so you can find out a little more about her and her current projects.

You and your husband have been building your very own home in an abandoned apple orchard in West Virginia. How did this awesome plan come about, and how is it going?
The plan came about back in 2009 when Will and I both got tired of living in Los Angeles, and partnered with Will's parents to build a place. We found the apple orchard and started building the house soon after. It has taken a lot longer than we initially thought, but we just recently were able to move into the house from our tiny cabin. We still have a long way to go before it is finished but we are super happy with how far we've come already.

You're in the process of making a movie called "Connect Us". Can you share what this is all about?
After moving to the mountain we realized just how hard it is to get high speed internet outside of a big city. Around the same time Will's uncle ask us to make a little video about the importance of the internet to help his effort to bring high speed internet to rural Maine. Through helping him we found ourselves really drawn to the issue. We decided to educate ourselves on just what the internet is, so we travel around the country interviewing people whose lives have been changed by the internet. Once we started our travels the project really started to grow into a much more complex issue, and we've decided to try and raise some funds so we can make a full length film to really tell the story of internet. We've recently given it the title 'Connect Us'.

Where did your road trip for "Connect Us" take you?
From our place in West Virginia we went down to Dallas Texas, Phoenix Arizona, Los Angeles California, Shaver Lake California, Napa Valley California, Portland Oregon, Salt Lake City Utah, Kansas City Kansas, and lastly Eastport Maine. So we seriously went from coast to coast hehe.

What was the most memorable experience on your road trip?
I really enjoyed getting to see Google Fiber in Kansas City. As someone who works solely online, seeing those internet speeds were beyond amazing. Also, getting to travel with our cat was wonderful. She seriously just kept amazing us with how great of a traveler she is.

You're basically living my dream, of living on a rural retreat and having the ability to work and make a living remotely. Do you have any advice for the wannabe 'work from an exotic location' folks?
I think my best advice would be to start planning now. Set a goal of when you want to be living and working from your remote location, and start working towards it. I think having an end date in mind helps to light the fire under your butt to get things done.

Now that you're back home, what's in store for the Little Lady?
We are really hoping to get some more work done on the house and also gear up to get back on the road to work more on the documentary. I am also hoping to get back into the kitchen and come up with some new recipes. I was lucky enough to get a Kitchen-Aid Mixer as a wedding gift, and it has seriously made my cooking life so much easier, I want to bake constantly!

If you'd like to read more about Amanda's adventures, you should check out her blog, Little Lady Little City. She is an inspiring lady, and I'm sure you'll enjoy her beautiful photographs and words.
Kitty
xo

Found #52

Some nice type and a thought for the week.

via: Designspiration

This illustration by Joao Lauro Fonte lives inside Tabitha Emma's Pinterest Board of Cat drawings. So much cuteness is inside! Believe it or not, I saw something eerily similar to this in real life, in Paris.

via: Pinterest - Tabitha Emma Cat Drawings

This hat is so incredibly beautiful. Handmade in Wicklow, Ireland too, as I'm fond of saying, been 'dere! It's a lovely part of the world, and fitting that this lovely hat is from there.

via: Lisa Lu Fashion

Beautiful scarves by Eloise Rapp, styled beautifully and photographed beautifully. You get my point.

via: Rapp

This bag is so adorable! I love a good satchel, the colours and design on this one are cute as pie.

via: Modcloth

So, you may or may not know, that when I was in Montana for the first time, pottering around the woods as the snow was melting, it was brought to my attention that the hungry post-hibernation Grizzly Bears may be wandering about. Now, I come from Australia aka Land Of Killer Creatures. It's true we have deadly snakes and spiders, and crocodiles, and the dreaded drop-bears. But Grizzlies? No siree. They scare me. I was almost convinced I was going to die in those Montanaian woods. And my 'friend' decided to mention as we reached the furthest point from the car that he forgot his bear mace. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Petrified would be an understatement. Luckily, for all of us non-Mountain-Ladies, Gentri-Lee has provided a succinct guide on what to do if you meet a bear. It didn't abate my fear. But I enjoyed her post.

P.S. I've only been bitten twice by potentially deadly spiders and I'm fine. I'm sure there's no anti-venom for a pawful of Grizzly claws. Just sayin'.

Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend? I'm pretty sure I'll be washing my sheets, packing and finishing off some housework in preparation for our flights on Tuesday! I have one day at work on Monday, then I'm off to Japan!

Kitty

xo

Did you join in on The Totally Awesome Blog Hop yet? Go on then!

Giveaway with Albionfit

I'm so excited to be teaming up with Albion Fit for a giveaway today! If you've been around here long enough, you probably know that I used to be a dancer, and run a dancing school. I'm certainly no stranger to workout gear! I'm still very active and visit the gym and walk a lot, and I know how much better I feel when I have decent workout clothes!

Albion Fit is a women's fitness and swimwear business, family owned and based in Utah. They have a lovely range of workout clothing and leisurewear, so if anyone has any fitness resolutions, or just wants to look cute at the beach, check out their online store. I adore the striped swimsuit (above) and there's a gorgeous polka dot one too! The workout gear is equally cute, with a lovely range of colour options and styles. Today, you have the chance to win a Go Long Crew in your colour choice, courtesy of Albion Fit. (This giveaway is open to entrants with a U.S. or Canadian address only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What I Wore - Daisies in the Breeze

I like to keep Kitty & Buck honest, so I should inform you that you've been told a little white lie today. See where it says breeze, up there in the title of this post? What it should say is gale-force winds. But it didn't sound as poetic. I hope you forgive me. As usual, my master photographer saved the day, I honestly don't know how C managed to capture anything useful, since the whole shoot was me yelling and trying to hold my dress down, much to the delight of random passers-by. Oh sometimes I wonder why I do these things to myself...
;)

As you can probably tell, I took these photos right after I left the hair salon. Really. Sigh. Anyway, my roots and 'surrounds' are much darker than before and ready for a splash of contrasty pastel colours methinks. Just need a spare three hours now.

Good Ol' Daisy Dress // ModCloth (available in alternate color)

Cardigan // Dangerfield

Betty Red Clogs // c/o Moheda

Flower Brooch // Thrifted - Katoomba, Australia

Golden Kitty Brooch // Thrifted - London, England (gift)

Skull Ring // Japan

Gargoyle Urn Ring // Metal Couture (similar)

Kitty

xo

Sponsor in April + Earlybird Discount

It's that time again, if you're considering advertising your blog or shop for April, it's time to get organised! Kitty & Buck sold out of ad spaces across all sizes last month, so get in quick! If a spot is sold out, you can still purchase now and your ad will go into the queue to be automatically activated once a space frees up. As an added bonus, you can get 20% off all ad spaces if you purchase before the 25th March. Just use the code:
aprilfoolmenot
There are updated stats on the advertising/sponsor page for your consideration :) If you have any questions, or need help designing an ad, get in touch via email kittyandbuck {at!} gmail {dot} com. I'm always happy to answer any questions you might have. I will be away for a couple of weeks at the beginning of April, but you'd never know, I have all kinds of awesome posts already planned! I've spent a lot of time preparing posts so my lovely readers and sponsors will receive the same volume and quality of posts as any other month. Plus, when I arrive back, there will be a tonne of exciting and exotic posts to share, I'm sure! I am still running ads on a couple of larger blogs, so you can expect, if anything, my traffic to continue increasing as it has been.

Thanks to my lovely sponsors, I'm lucky to have you here on my labour of love. If you'd like to join them, just head over to my sponsor page.

Kitty
xo