Lots of feels

Emotional wreck at your service. There's so many good things and then those moments in between that are so down in the valley of sadness that you forget the good things up on that really high mountain for a second. I don't necessarily think that's age 23 for everyone but what a coinky-dink this post was. I had to post it.

It was just a second! This current writing is to say "there was my moment to vent via Nylon Magazine and now I'm over it and moving on." I put on my big girl pants and I'm back on the mountain top! Yipeeeee

I'm ready for your extreme ups and downs 23. Ain't gon bring me down. Fist bump

Thanks + praise

I'm just so thankful. I have such a good life and I am, indeed, #blessed.

Thankful and giving praise to the man upstairs because...
+ Those two ladies in my pictures make life fun and will be around forever and ever
+ I have two wonderful parents who love each other and their daughters, dearly
+ I have a good man to hug me, kiss me and love me always
+ I have good friends who have my back
+ I enjoy my job and actually have one
+ I have nice things
+ I have a roof over my head
+ My family, near and far, is loving and caring and there whenever I may need
+ I have had a great education
+ I am healthy and alive.

What a great day it was.

Christmas Time is.. Here.

The wishlist of 2013! Christmas time is verrrrrry near.

01. A set of these marbled latte mugs | Leif

02. Jeffrey Campbell d'orsay In Love flats - To die for in every. Single. Print. | NastyGal

03. Colorblock leather watch to go with everything and anything | Cold Picnic

04. The weekender. Must. Have. For my trip in January! | Everlane

05. Bobbi Brown Beach Body Oil. A tongue twister and have only heard the best about it. | Bobbi Brown

06. It's OK, a good daily reminder to hang on my wall. | Etsy

Please & thank you.

01. Olivia's 15th birthday!

02. Liv's homecoming for her freshman year of high school.

03. Dad & me at homecoming pictures

04. One of John's chickens

05. A beautiful blue sky in Raleigh

06. Liv & Mom at homecoming pictures

07. Halloween decor at the Raleigh party

08. Roy Lichtenstein comic strip character & Indiana Jones

Happenings No. 01

.01 J.Crew's Sample Sale | There's nothing that I look forward to quite as much as the sample sale. Piles and piles of cashmere, dirt cheap Barbour coats, millions of shoes - it's a J.Crew employee's dream. An exhausting dream. BUT! I scored a winter coat, Supergas, those blue suede oxfords I've been lusting over since they came out, a Pave bracelet and few other things. Wonderful day.

.02 Meg Jay's Ted Talk | Who doesn't love a good Ted Talk? I read this article the other day about people who think their 20's are "throw away" years and how it's actually the opposite. Very relevant. It was connected to Meg Jay's Ted Talk about how people always say "30 is the new 20" and basically that you're assumed to start real life when you're 30. Twenty is for experimentation. But really, you should just begin planning for the future now! It was so inspiring and motivating.

.03 Alabama Shakes | Right after the sample sale, I rushed to Cary to see the magic that is Brittany Howard and she did not disappoint. Her soulful, deep, strong, AMAZING voice was one of those overwhelming things that can make me cry. And the energy! I loved it. She's a fantastic woman and I want to be her BFF.

.04 Virgin Mobile's Free Fest | And ya know, being the concert goers we are, we woke up at 6 a.m. the next day and trekked all the way to Columbia, MD. But for a great reason. We were some lucky winners of the free tickets to a festival full of Washed Out, Robin Thicke, Icona Pop, City and Colour, the Avett Brothers, MGMT and an all-time favorite, Vampire Weekend. It was a great day besides the crazy expensive beer and downpour. And we got to stop in D.C. The besssssst!

Goals | Oct. 2013

Eating | Gluten-free. The things I've heard have only been good, so I'd love to try.
Drinking | Pum. King. If I can ever find it!
Practicing | Meditation.
Mastering | Balancing two jobs and saving money.
Learning | French. Je suis une femme.
Playing | Vampire Weekend and Dr. Dog albums.
Finishing | My grad school portfolio. 
Reading | Harper's Bazaar has been killing it. I don't like to read, but I do like to read their articles. And I'd like to start re-reading the classics. 
Walking | Everywhere I can.
Wearing | Madewell's fall collection, lots of lacks of color and not enough layers for this time of year. 
Cooking | Big meals to savor leftovers. And lots of sweets.
Working | Too much.
Traveling | To Boone for a good homecoming weekend.
Wanting | More leather goods, more time with loved ones and more joyful traveling.

NYFW 2013

As I'm going through my Instagram feed and flipping through slideshows of designers' Spring/Summer 2014 collections, I'm noticing a lot of similarities and maybe a little unoriginality.

But my God. Oscar de la Renta, the king of fashion. He never fails. Never copies. Never disappoints. If only I could afford...

July Photo Diary

01. Fourth of July spent at Gabi's | Full of amazing Arabic food (and some potatoes and steak for good ole 'Merica), super energetic children and our own fireworks!

02. Lake Erie sunsets | Went alone while visiting home, because look.

03. Vintage shopping in Ohio City | Little did I know, the streets beyond my beloved West Side Market were just as cool

04. Started doodling again, getting inspiration for potential prints | I'm going back to school for graphic design and some people at potential jobs ask if you have a store. Might as well start an Etsy!

05. Beautiful daisies in Boone | As boring as I think that place is, it's so beautiful.

06. Carolina Beach | Not much explanation needed.

07. Out in Montford with my two who are leaving the country so soon | I actually had a blast & I'm going to miss my friends.

I fell in love

 

with California. More specifically, Los Angeles. And I'm in trouble.

Now I just want to go back! Gosh that place is beautiful. The people are so nice and friendly, everyone is happy, it's not too expensive, it's always sunny - why wouldn't you like it?! It was so perfect.

We also went to Monterey, San Francisco, Fresno, Death Valley, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon and now I'm drained.

So now, what to do what to do. Although I started my so UNinspiring last class of my undergraduate career today, I am feeling quite inspired. I got these super amazingly cute cards/prints from Urbanic in Santa Monica and while paying a million bucks for each one, I thought, well, I could so easily do this. So that's what I'm going to do while waiting to go back to school in the fall - an Etsy store connected with my blog! Wildflower girl on Etsy! I'm so excited. Finally putting my doodling to good use.

So there's the next step I guess. Oh and I need a job. Money would be nice.

xoxo

My baby brown monkey sister is now a high schooler

Left at pre-human stages and right at FOURTEEN! But she looks 25.

Congratulations on finishing middle school, little babe. I love you more than you know!

So about that whole New York thing...

It didn't work out. New York and I have a love-hate relationship and this time the hate took over. So, on to the next one.

From my short time spent in that wonderful yet dreadful city, I have a small iPhone photo diary!

So about this whole graduated thing...

I'm back in the city. After all that whining & swearing that I'd never be back living here, I've returned. Something about you, New York.

And maybe the fact that I have an internship with Anthropologie which I'm expecting to be awesome. So I guess that's what the graduated life is about - and it got real, real fast.

THE END IS NEAR!

The sun being the wonderful end of this busy, eventful, adventurous and sometimes (most of the time) stressful semester. And my college career! I'm so excited!

Then I'll actually blog. Until then, LET'S GET THIS DONE.

photo via Molly Jacques, the magnificent calligraphist. I envy her skills.

Well now I want to do everything in the world

So THAT amazing calligraphy work is by illustrator and hand-letterer Molly Jacques. That is just amazing to me and I would love to be able to do that.

So there's number 1.

I decided today that I also want to learn how to code. Like HTML code. Like web design.

I want to learn French. I want to make a collection. I want to learn how to run.

I have a long list of to-do's.

Is this how you do a style post?

Guest starring....

My sisters! Rachel...

...and Olivia!

My sisters are really cute.



Ain't got nothin' on Kendi Everyday, but hey, it's a start.

Holy. Home.

So I saw pictures of this home on DesignLoveFest (my very favorite blog) the other day and fell in love.

Not only is it in LA which I really want to visit, it is so beautifully designed. Holy cow.

So I guess I don't need to pin inspiration for future homes anymore. This took care of it all.

Just kidding. But seriously. Dream home.

image via Old Brand New

Thoughts ping-pong in my head

I didn't know what to call this. I tried to be creative but at the same time my head isn't on straight, and hasn't been for this semester so that's what came out. Ping pong in my head.

And these thoughts are just going to come straight out in a list so BAM here they are:
I need to find a paying job for this summer
Trader Joe's kettle corn is addictive and deadly. Beware.
The darkness and silence of my apartment right now is heavenly.
I really really really really hope Gap and J.Crew let me take off in two weeks so I can go to Nashville and Charleston.
I need to de-clutterize my room
I need to do my homework but I really really really don't want to
I also don't want to make dinner but I have to
&
I need this madness to stop and get me out. of. cold. weather.

On a lighter and more fun note, I had the most glorious weekend at home and a great time *listening* to Tame Impala and the Growl on Friday.

I say *listening* because I was bombarded by the fact that teenagers LOVE Tame Impala. And not just regular, annoying teenagers - obliterated, smelly, annoying, obnoxious, and VIOLENT teenagers. 

Let me be clear: Tame Impala is not a band to which you MOSH PIT! Have you listened to their music? You move with the music. Not throw yourself onto a 22-year-old who simply wanted to listen to the band up close. Jeez.

But it was still awesome. So THERE.

xoxo

Still on the topic of wanderlust

I thought wanderlust may have died down maaayyybe a little until in the wee hours of the night, I found this woman's blog and now I'm enthralled with her. Garance Doré is French perfection and I essentially want to be her. She is also head-over-heels in love with Scott Schuman, The Sartorialist. How perfect. Ugh.

Soooo I started reading her blog and I love it because it's casual and conversational, yet extremely informational. And she doesn't really rant, which is kind of hard to come by. Or maybe she is ranting and I just think she's too cool to care.

Eiiiither way, she sparked my obsessed back up with Parisian life. I don't think that'll ever let up.

And then..... I went on twitter this morning. London is so cool. Look at these pictures of street style from London Fashion Week. Brits are just so. Cool. And they're obviously rubbing off on everyone else there.

That clutch. That top. That whole ensemble. That SHIRT - I want it so bad. And maybe a beret, too.

Okay, now I'll get back to writing a feature, an analysis, watching a Webinar, and designing a pattern. SO THAT I CAN GO TO TAME IMPALA TONIGHT!

xoxo

Wanderlust

wan·der·lust: noun: a strong desire to travel

I use this word a whole lot. Because it consumes my life. I just wanna go go go!!!

So when I'm overwhelmed and completely stressed, I go to airbnb.com and search for anywhere and everywhere around the world, you know, for hypothetical trips. Hmph.

Somewhere warm would be lovely right now. More than lovely actually. Such as Palm Springs! That's where that awesome, almost fake-looking picture of a palm tree was taken. How colorful and not-depressing. Jeez.

Anyyyyyways, school is extremely overwhelming so this blogging thing, as I expected, gets put waaaay down the list. But that's alright for now I suppose.

Tomorrow I'm going to the sold out Tame Impala show, which I'm told is going to be the best show I've ever seen. We will SEE about that. Tame Impala is amazing though.

And then I get to go home. Sweet. Home. for a couple days. Which is fine, I just need that home time! And a Target! And a mall! And a Trader Joe's! And my mom and dad and baby sisters! And my boo! All the best in life. 

So enjoy the weekend, I know I will. Here's a little Tame Impala 'Elephant' for your listening pleasure. xoxo

*Palm Tree shot by talented photographer Bonnie Tsang. Her instagram is awesome!