{Day One}

Hi there! Sorry this is a little late, three days to be exact. I've had a long list of to-do's this week, and haven't exactly had the time. But now I do! Finally, that I have no more classes for the week, and not a ton of homework due. So here I am writing my first post of my 30 day photo project, and it begins with a portrait of none other than myself.

Day 1: Self Portrait

My weekend is going to be kind of packed, since my boyfriend Ty is coming to visit me and I will be very delighted to see his handsome face :) But, I will make sure to post again tomorrow for Day 2. I hope everyone had a good thursday!

30 Day Photo Challenge

Hi there everyone, aren't you all glad it's finally the weekend! I know I sure am. So beginning on Monday, I will be embarking on a photo adventuer, and I will be documenting a particular picture each day according to the list I have posted below.  My sister (Serendipitous Things) told me about this thirty day challenge she was going to be doing, and convinced me to do it as well. I'm actually very delighted to be doing this, as it will get my creativity reeling again. I am having withdrawls from anything artsy, since I have been mostly focusing on school, and I don't know if I can take it much longer. Even though it may take some self-dicipline on my part since I tend to procrastinate, a lot, it will force me to prioritize my daily agenda, which will allow me to pay more attention to my blogging duties. I hope you guys will enjoy my photo journey as I most likely will, and have a fantastic weekend! 

Crazy for Coffee

Hello! I am cutting it very close as I am writing this ten minutes before the clock strikes midnight, and it will no longer be the 29th. So, happy National Coffee Day! I wasn't actually aware that there was such a thing until I saw a reminder administered by Starbucks reminding their loyal coffee lovers of the day everyone gathers to celebrate their favorite caffeinated drink. I took advantage of this so called holiday and indulged myself in a steaming cup of a pumpkin spice latte. Even though I've been trying to cut back on my coffee intake, since i the tally for how much I've spent at Starbucks has grown just a little too much, this was a good reason to make an exception.

My sister Jessy (Serendipitous Things) also celebrated in the event, and was that lattee sure delicious :) I will probably be back tomorrow, well I should say today. I didn't exactly make the deadline, since I am now ten minutes past. Oh well, I close.

Have a nice day everyone :)

Shop Nelle

Hello Everyone! I had trouble deciding what I wanted to blog about today. I have too many things I want to talk about. But his morning I came across the website Nelle, and I absolutely adore every single thing in this shop, so I thought I would share it with you. All of the products are offered in a wide variety of colors, which gives them an even more unique flare.

Photo Credits: Nelle

I love practically anything that has ruffles, bows, or flowers, which is exactly what these clutches and belts are all about. They are all so temping, too bad I'm trying to cut back on my spending right now, otherwise I would most definitely invest in one of these pieces. 

Thanks for stopping by, have a good day everyone! 

A Wrap Up of My Weekend

So, I took the weekend to travel back home for a little visit, and I think I needed it. I'm adjusting to living in the city and the difference of life style, along with the traffic. I am even starting to adopt some road rage, which doesn't exactly fair well for me since I already had quite a bit of it before I moved to a place where common courtesy is more or less a rarity among drivers. And when I'm rubbed the wrong way behind the wheel, oh boy does my temper kick in on overdrive. That was one aspect I didn't want to rub off on me, but I guess it's a tad bit too late now. But that is besides the point. Anyways, I was very happy to see my parent's who weren't even aware I was coming, one of the other things I need to work on, I'm not exactly good at remember to rely information that probably should be. But, either way, it was a nice surprise for them. My dogs Lola and Sam, were rather excited to see me too, on the other hand, my cat Tom didn't exactly know what was going on, probably got into the cat nip again.

I bought some new editing software for my computer, only ten bucks. Score. I wanted to try it out, so I took the opportunity to take some photos of the animals doing what they do best. The one of Sam, the chihuahua pictured above, the one who looks like a llama, was perfect. I caught him in his famous pose, working his beta fish expression.

On thursday, I went wedding dress shopping with my best friend Britney, who has been one of my closest friends since kindergarten. She is getting married on July 28h of next year. I am beyond beyond beyond EXCITED, when I found out I was practically hyperventilating when she sent me the picture of her ring. So beautiful and sparkly. I'm so happy for her, and I am very honored to be apart of her special day. It seems like all I look at these days is bridal this and bridal that, I'm obsessed and it's not even my wedding.

Here is a picture of us back in the old days:

One of the many dresses she tried on, but which ever dress makes the cut, she is going to make a beautiful bride.

Speaking of weddings, on Saturday I attended my boyfriend Ty's aunt Ashley's wedding. It was a very fun time, and the dance was pretty epic :) It was nice to spend some time with him and his family.

It was a hard leaving him again, the long distance thing is not as easy as I tried to tell myself. It could be much worse, luckily we are only five hours apart. I am very grateful for that, but it's still tough. Well, that's a wrap up of my weekend, I hope I didn't bore you too much with my rambling!

Have a happy monday :)

Crazy for Mad Men

I've recently began watching Mad Men after hearing nothing but good things about this retro flashback to life in the early 1960's, and what can I say, I am hooked. Besides the fact that it is a very amazing show, I am now obsessed with the fashion of the cast. The styling of the characters is impeccable as what they wear tends to resemble and amplify their personality. Here are some more modern looks with a vintage vibe so you can embody your favorite mad men character:

If you would like to replicate Peggy's sophisticated wardrobe with a more stated color palate:

Betty's more feminine, classy housewife look:

And Joan Holloway's : 

And here are some other choices that have a vintage flare and have a combination of all of the Mad Men ladies style:

Well hope you enjoyed! Have a happy Sunday everyone! 

Photo credits: Google Images, Modcloth, Oasis, Dorothy Perkins, Etsy

What's on Your Reading List?

     This morning I spent some time conjuring up a manifest of novels that I will most definitely mark on my shopping list next time I hit up the bookstore. 

 The first title that sparked my interest is called Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. The description depicts a tale of two women who divulge the frivilous details of their everyday life to one another via email in the midst of their company office, and the new internet security officer can't help but weave his way into the nooks and crannies of his fellow coworkers lives. Twist: he falls in love with one of them but doesn't know how to express his secret revelation without confessing his hidden longing.  It seems like a fresh take on the typical guy falls for girl but girl doesn't know it kind of storyline and I think that the way in which these characters communicate reminds the reader of our vast dependency on technology which has become a crutch in how we express ourselves.

My second reccommendation is called This is Where I Leave You. In short, it's about a guy troubled by the corruption of his marriage and the recent death of his father. This quirky premise seems to have an intriguing outlook on the complications of family and dysfunctional relationships, and centers around the idea of finding oneself in the wake of dire loss. 

And for my last choice I present to you a more sinister read called Await Your Reply that explores the depths of three different strangers who venture out on an escape route towards what they are looking for and also, whatever they are running from. Based on the reviews this one seems to be more of a dark thriller that will captivate your mind in an way that is unsettling in the pit of your stomach but reels you in for more at the same time. 

Just thought I'd share with you what's on my reading list and hopefully the ones I discovered will interest you as well!

Credits: Google Images

My Summer in a Nutshell

Sorry I've been M.I.A. over the past couple of months, but I'm back and I am ready to blog :) This summer has been a pretty eventful one, but it has also gone by very very fast. My sister Jessy (Serendipitous Things) took me to New York as a graduation gift. It was my first time and I absolutely fell in love with it.

Almost immediately afterwards I traveled to Washington D.C. where I was recognized for my win in a nationwide art competition, and I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my family and my boyfriend Ty experiencing the bustling city of D.C.

Other than that, I tried to spend as much time enjoying the rest of the summer with the people closest to me before I moved to Minneapolis to live with my sister and her husband while I attend college. 

It was harder leaving them behind than I imagined, because all along I've only wanted to get away and gain my own independence in a place other than what I've always known, but when the day finally came, the notion that it was actually happening threw me a little off balance. So this past week was filled with difficult goodbyes and my departure was bittersweet, but I'm also excited to begin my new college life. I will keep you posted on how that goes as well.  

Fresh Florals

Happy Thursday everyone! Today as I was lazily laying in bed while putsing around on the internet doing some window shopping, I noticed that everything I took a liking to had some sort of floral pattern. Lately, when I walk into a store even, I seem to gravitate towards anything that has flowers on it. Here are some of the items I found:

And some more:

Throwing some items such as these into your wardrobe will give your outfit a fun and flirty vibe, and this look is a trendy idea for summertime. Have a good day!

Photo credits: Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, ModCloth, ShopMamie, Spottedmoth

Oh, Graduation

As of a few days ago, I am officially a high school graduate. I remember thinking that this day was so far away, unreachable and almost too difficult too fathom as a young girl, but it happened and now it's over. When I pictured the moment when I walked up that stage to receive that piece of paper I worked so hard for, I thought I would be different, someone who knew exactly what she wanted. To my surprise though, over all these years, I don't feel like I've changed all that much, and I still have that feeling of uncertainty that I believed I would have conquered by now. I realize this is normal, I'm still at that point where I am trying to figure out the kind of person I want to be, but I am happy knowing that I have an idea of who I'd like to be and that it doesn't stretch far from who I already am. This is only one stepping stone that I have to cross, while there are many more that lie ahead, and overall, I wouldn't change anything. I'm thankful for the people who helped me get here, and grateful for everything I've been through, good and bad, because I've learned a lot. That being said, I still have many things to learn, partly on how to be an successful grown-up,  but more importantly, I have to keep focus on the things that actually matter, which I already have a pretty good grasp on. It's a little bittersweet knowing the fact that I will never walk those halls again as a high school student, or ever see some of those teachers again or the people who I have known since elementary school, but I'm ready to move forward.

Pretty in Pink

Photo credits: Google images

    This color worn by Rachel McAdams is the new red. With magenta undertones this lip color give her look a pop of delectable sophistication while maintaing a playful vibe, and the balance of her subtle cat eye pulls it all together. In order to avoid a cakey look, go for a light -weight formula such as the lip stain I have pictured above, which will create a long lasting finish that will remain vibrant throughout the day unlike an average lipstick. Try Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in "lively," which is sold at Sephora. 

Photo credits: Google images

You can't go wrong with a pink lip, but it's often hard to find the right shade. This rosy hue is flattering on universally anyone and any skin tone, since the blush tint is complimentary to your natural complexion and will give you a radiant glow. Up above is a new product from Bare Minerals called Pretty Amazing Lipcolor featured in "rosy mauve," which is an opaque liquid gloss that will give your lips a hint of exquisite sheen. 

Photo credits: Google images

Go nude. Ginnifer Goodwin's nude lip ties in well with her dewy flush and her soft smoky eyes., which creates an polished appearance. To replicate her look, choose a tinted lip balm such as Laura Mercier HydraTint cream stick which is proven to give your lips a boost of moisture with a shield of SPF 15, and is sold at Sephora. 

     

Scarlet Fever

Photo credits: Google Images

     Being a senior in high school with the notion that it's spring season, can you guess which big event I have marked in my schedule in the upcoming weeks? Prom, which to me is a little overrated, but despite my indifference, how often do I have the chance to wear a such a beautiful gown? Not very often. For this years occasion, I wanted to portray an essence of red carpet glamour, along with the classic delicacy captured by a woman in a scarlet dress. My motto: less is more, especially when it comes to making a bold statement, because it has to appear effortless, and an overdone palette screams the exact opposite. Initially I braced myself for disappointment in my search to find the perfect dress and lowered my expectations, and surprisingly it seemed to work, considering the second dress I tried on took the cake. I guess in any shopping situation optimism is the key.

Blunt Bangs: A Love Hate Relationship

Photo credit: Google Images

     It's like a craving, one that you can't shake off until you actually taste it, but sometimes it's not as great as you had hyped it up to be. In this case, I'm not referring to food specifically, but alluding to the phenomenon of the blunt bang. They can either hit the spot, or they can strike a little bland, and if they don't satisfy your appetite the first time, maybe give them a second chance, because who says the second batch won't lend itself to a savory blend of perfection. That being said, the recipe for an impeccably crafted bang requires careful execution and proper measurements. So choose your stylist wisely if your going to go for the plunge, and in order to maintain a flawless fringe, upkeep is simply indispensable, which is often their foremost downside. 

     Let's just say I have mixed feelings about them. When I'm not sporting them, I love them; but when my impulsive nature sets in and I give into my desire for a new do, I hate them. Well sometimes. My advice, go for the chop, because you'll never know until you try them on. 

Amila Art

Photo credits: Amila Art

     Being an artist myself, I understand the immense pressure that falls upon a person who dabbles in the mastery of the arts to stand out among a crowd of equal talent and integrity, but I've also learned that recognition transpires with true originality. From the time I was a little girl, drawings of people have fascinated me. As I've grown older, my intrigue for portraits of realism has not only defined me as an artist, but it has further opened  my eyes to other possibilities when it comes to creating a signature style. So, my point is when I found Amilka's shop on Etsy, I was rather impressed with her portfolio. She specializes in portraits depicted in fashion illustrations, which is right up my alley, plus the composition of black ink with the blending of subtle splashes of color is quite interesting. Check out her shop, it's completely worth it! 

     

Trend: Tights + Booties

Photo Credits: modcloth.com

     I discovered ModCloth a while back in my search to find affordable online shops comparable to Urban Outfitters, which is my absolute favorite store might I add, and when I came across it, I immediately fell in love. I rather enjoy the mix of retro elegance, along with the unique vintage inspired pieces that it features. New products are posted everyday, so they keep it fresh, but I warn you, things sell out very quickly. These three outfit ideas pictured above, have a similar element of black tights and lace-up ankle boots which i thought was a cute transition into spring from the chilly winter months. Well I hope you enjoy!