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

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.

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 :) :)

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

knit de knit

It has been a few years since I have knitted anything, sometimes I think I've forgotten how but I'm sure if I pick up my knitting needles and start my hands would remember soon enough. This weekend my roommate and I were walking around the neighborhood and she suggested we find a knitting store so she could start on a little project. Which was more than fine with me, I really love knitting, quilting, and fabric stores. My mom used to always take me to quilting stores when I was younger because she was an avid quilter and I used to get so mesmerized by the huge array of fabrics and all the bright, striking colors and patterns. It really is a feast for the eyes. Looks like I still get that way. This little knitting store was such a cute little find. When I get home I am definitely going to start a new sewing project of some type.

a salt & battery

GET IT?!?! Cute right? A good ol' genuine fish n' chips place in the heart of Greenwich Village.

and just like that two months has come and gone

Wow. Wowowowowowow. Today was the first day of my last week at my internship with Saks for the summer. Which means on Saturday I have a flight home. It's so crazy how quickly this summer has come and gone, which I knew would happen, but still. I have learned so much this summer and more importantly I think, I have grown so much this summer. I came to New York City this summer a wide eyed innocent girl from the Midwest, and I think that I will leave the city feeling somewhat of a cultured NYC citizen.

I thought that being a buyer and living in this city was exactly what I had wanted for my entire life, but this summer has changed my perspective on things, and pretty much turned my life upside down. I don't know what I want. I don't know what I want to do. I don't know where I want to live. I don't even know who I want to be. It's kind of like I'm starting out at square one again, trying to figure myself out. And that part of this summer has been very frustrating. But also, if I had never had this experience I would still be sitting in Wisconsin thinking that NYC holds the key to making all of my dreams come true, but I'm not so sure that's the case anymore. I'm just grateful that I have one whole year left to figure that out before I am going to be forced into the real-world and forced to make grown-up decisions for myself. I don't know where I'll end up a year from now, if it will be in this city, in San Francisco (another lifelong dream of mine), in Madison, or in some other city I'd never imagine.

I guess only time will tell.

right up there with einstein's equation

i've figured it out! this would solve allllll my dilemmas. if only this was possible.

the weather of san francisco + the people of madison + the fashion of new york city = eden.

now just try and prove me wrong.