Tuesday, August 31, 2010

where did the summer go?

It's hard to believe that it is already September. I feel like just yesterday I was anxiously preparing for a summer in New York City and eagerly looking forward to a family vacation in Hawaii when I returned. And now all of that has come and gone and I have one day, ONE MEASLEY day left until my last school years ever begins. I went to get books today and I was looking around and everyone around me looked so young, like babies. It was so strange. I just kept wondering when I got so old?








images via weheartit

juliette crane

My good friend and manager at bop recently introduced me to a new local (as in down the street local) artist, Juliette Crane, who I promptly fell in love with. Her work consists of mixed media pieces on 8 x 8 canvases. These are painfully cute little pieces that instantly add character to any room they are placed in. The original canvas artworks are a little more expensive, but she also offers copies for $20 that can be framed and will look just as adorable. Visit her blog here. And shop your heart out here!





Sunday, August 29, 2010

such a tease

i'm not yet done editing my pictures. what with traveling 24 hours, only sleeping 1 hour on my redeye to dallas because i was sitting next to a crying baby, and running around like a chicken with my headcut off trying to run errands and settle back in today. all while feeling like i was going to pass out. but soon, before school starts on thursday i'll upload plenty of hawaii pics :)




in the perfect world i would split my time between nyc and maui. summers in maui, the rest in new york. oh, the life that dreams are made of. well. my dreams, at least.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

breathe fall

Shopbop once again kills it with another one of their flawless lookbooks. This one is for one of my favorite brands Joie, pronounced zh-wa, I shudder when people call it "joey". If this doesn't get you yearning and itching for fall weather then you might just be out of luck and should consider moving to a seasonless state.... like Hawaii!
This lookbook gets me particularly excited for cozy cashmere sweaters and the tall boots paired with even taller socks combo worn with dresses in early fall and tights/leggings in later fall.







images via Shopbop

Monday, August 23, 2010

i would do bad things for an awang bag

These three bags are on the tippity-top of my Christmas list. Yes. Christmas list. I start one usually during the months of August and September and it just continues to grow.


The Rocco



The Donna


The Diego

images via net-a-porter

Sunday, August 22, 2010

goodbye dear summer


This summer has been a whirlwind for me. Spending 2 months in New York City, being home for a short two weeks (where all I did was work to try and replenish my bank account), and then jetting off 4,000 miles to vacation in Maui for 2 more weeks was a crazy, busy summer. Of course it went by at the speed of light.

Being in New York was the best experience of my entire life, I came back from the city an entirely new person, more of a weary-traveler you could say. I also came back with a huge appreciation for Wisconsin that I never had before. It took being away from Madison for a summer to appreciate how cool of a town Madison really is; with the union, State Street, Bascom Hill, and countless other attractions that I took for granted my twenty years of living there. I actually missed Madison while I was in New York.

And then I came to Hawaii. I don't think there could be any more polar opposites as far as lifesyles go in the United States, than NYC and Hawaii. It's almost like the Hawaiians know something that the rest of the US doesn't, a sort of "island secret". Their way of life is so laid-back. It's so unburdened compared to the New York way of life. The Hawaiians would take one look at a New Yorker and just go "but WHY?!". In Hawaii, it is completely acceptable to walk into the grocery store in nothing but a bikini, nobody gives you a second glance. It's like that Kenny Chesney song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem" is their motto for life. I like that simplicity. It makes you realize what's truly important in life. Which I guess is basically soaking up the sun, and emjoying every second of every day. Mmmmm, lovely.
image via google.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

coming atchya from the aloha state

I am currently sitting in a starbucks with very limited time left on my wi-fi access and I felt the need to create a post in as little time as possible. I have not been on the internet since Monday and I am having withdrawal symptoms. I had about 50 sites to check, and that for once is NOT an exaggeration. Luckily (or unluckily) a few of my favorite bloggers haven't updated for awhile so those were quick visits.

I haven't posted in a two weeks and just wanted to check in and say being home from NYC was amazing, I realized how much I am in love with Madison and I have a much greater appreciation for my home-state now. Also, Hawaii is as it has been for the last 1000 years: sunny, hot, and a heaven on earth. I am going through a much needed winding down after 3 months of non-stop working and action. I am in Maui until next Sunday, hopefully I will be able to access internet again before then and do a more substantial post, but until then..... MAHALO and ALOHA :) :)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

funhouse

It's not about vanity or kinky reasons, but I love mirrors. They just brighten and open up any space they are in, which is something especially important when living in a tiny college apartment. In my opinion mirrors are another form of art, just more reflective art. My favorite ones are always vintage feeling, or even just plain vintage! I found the cutest vintage mirror with some serious wood frame details in a thrift store last summer that was only $4 but for some reason beyond me, I did not buy it! Yeah, I know, I'm still kicking myself.


Anyways, in two weeks I'm going to move into a new apartment (first one in two years!) and my two new roommates and I are already scheming up ways to decorate it so it stands out from every other college apartment in the country. We are thinking thrifting, thrifting, thrifting. Oh, and Anthro. I am determined to change all our doorknobs and use cute ones from Anthro, it seems like such a cheap way to add character. I'll definitely put pics up once we settle in and it's decorated! Obviously, mirrors will be used to create the illusion that the apartment is bigger than it actually is.





I love the classical architecture in this one. Entablatures!







images via Restoration Hardware