Friday, July 22, 2011

golden raspberries

It's summer, and while I love relaxing in the sun I've been busy babysitting (my summer "job" - hey, gotta pay the bills) and staying inside with all this rain we've been having. Babysitting can be a little draining sometimes, long hours, early hours, late hours...talking about pets and dogs and boys and new TV shows on Disney. I really can't complain at all though. It's fun, it's easy, I get to play outside, and take the kids to ice cream. It's nice to enjoy your inner kid-self.

Anyways, I wore this outfit (yesterday...still trying to work on consistency with this!) because it was grey, cold, and rainy outside and it was an excuse to wear a summer scarf.

Scarf: a market in Italy Tank: Brandy Melville Firenze Bandeau: Brandy Melville Firenze Jeans: Forever 21 Flats: Tory Burch Handbag: Nordstrom

I also recently found golden raspberries at the grocery store and was so intrigued I had to try them out for myself! I honestly have never even seen these before, but they're so yummy.

xo

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Creative cuffs & beautiful bangles - I'm loving jewelry line Evocateur

Last weekend I stopped by Nordstrom for a few minutes. I was quickly scanning the large department store with the few minutes I had (I just had to take a peek at the anniversary sale!) and stumbled upon these eye-catching bangles. I wrote down the name of the brand, Evocateur, on my Blackberry so I could look it up later.
Art Flower Bangle

Their website says, "Handcrafted in our Connecticut studios, our artisan jewelry and accessories feature 22K gold leaf and sterling silver leaf embellished with vintage jewelry, striking images and other found treasures. Our designs feature a refined eclecticism which reflects our love of the traditional and the ancient, blended with the modern and contemporary. The line, which includes cuffs, bangles, pendants, earrings and belts can be found in premier boutiques and stores throughout the US."

My favorite pieces were the cuffs and bangles. Prices range around $200-$350. It's not exactly in this college girl's budget, but there's nothing wrong with looking at them!
Titanic Blueprint Cuff
8 Ball Cuff
Chrysler Pink Cuff
I Do! Cuff

The Art Flower Bangle is my favorite. Hmm, maybe I'll put it on my birthday list.... :)
xo

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My very first outfit post!

I'm excited to finally try out the whole outfit post thing. I'm hoping that I will be able to improve my personal style over time - what better way to do that than taking photos? (Kind of like Cher's polaroids on Clueless, haha). Maybe it'll be an everyday thing, maybe it won't. We'll see where it goes from here.

Anyways, after my post yesterday about seventies fashion, I had to try it out for myself. I added a little crochet and bohemian-esque accessories with seed bead wedges to add a touch of the trend to my outfit.

Crochet crop top: Nordstrom Brown tank: J. Crew Orange shorts: M2F Brand Denim Wedges: Dillard's Earrings: Nordstrom Bracelet: Nordstrom

Let me know what you think!

xo

Monday, July 18, 2011

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I put my blog up on Blog Lovin'! Check it out :)

xo


Hippie Lovin'

I am in love with sixties/seventies-inspired fashion these days. I think that was one of the coolest eras in modern history with some awesome fashion. It seems like everything was so relaxed, so carefree. If there were any time that I'd want to travel back in time to, it would be the late sixties. I want to be that relaxed and carefree.

I want to lay in a meadow and close my eyes and breathe in the fresh scent of the grass around me. Give me an acoustic guitar. I want to play songs about peace and talk about life. I want to experience Woodstock. I want to just go back to that time and hang out for a week. No cell phones, computers, or other technology to distract the world.

Let's slow down a bit, just for a week, back in the sixties.

That's part of the reason of why I am so excited that bohemian pieces are resurfacing in the fashion world in a big way.

Here's some editorial inspiration:
From Fashion Copius - photo by Ben Toms for Dazed & Confused

Here are a few items I have my eye on:






xo

Friday, July 8, 2011

Lists

I'm the type of person who makes lists of just about everything, it seems.

So I'm going to share some lists with you, about my time in Florence.

List #1: Things I learned in Florence
1. That you walk everywhere. My feet ached at the end of every day! I definitely need a pedicure, but it was so worth it. Seeing everything that I saw was incredible.
2. Some restaurants give you free, unlimited wine when you have a large group of people. I don't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing...haha.
3. There are a lot of salespeople walking around trying to sell roses, umbrellas, fake designer hangbags, etc. And gypsies. And they get all up in your face to try to get you to buy something to get money.
4. Some of the street salespeople are illegal. Some will have photo prints that they lay on the ground and are easily able to scoop all the prints up at once so they can run away. I saw at least three police chases because of this!
5. Nobody works out. Gyms apparently do not exist. Most Italians are not in shape, just skinny.
6. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day.
7. I learned how to pour, hold, and fill a wine glass.
8. I learned to enjoy the taste of wine.
9. I learned that seeing a downpour of rain outside a window means to wait at least five minutes before exiting the building, juuust in case it stops.
10. Gelato is better than ice cream. Even the smallest size comes with two flavors!
11. I learned to be aware, smart, yet not paranoid about my safety and possessions.
12. Sometimes, the people in passport control love to grill tourists with question after question.
13. It is very rare to find a soft cookie. They're all crunchy.
14. It is also rare to find wheat bread.
15. Stay hydrated to help beat the jet lag. And one or two hour naps soon after arriving is the worst idea ever. Take it from someone who has been there.
16. That some extraordinary buildings, like the Duomo in Florence, will blow your mind just as much as the first time seeing it to the fiftieth time seeing it.
17. The computer keyboards have keys for more symbols, different money currencies, and letters with accents.
18. David by Michaelangelo is enormous.
19. Mosquitos are everywhere summer nights...and love to bite.
20. Where a few of the secret bakeries are and when they're open. Nutella croissant...yum! :)
21. I learned that I made some of the best memories of my life, with some of the best people, in one of the best places in the world. I hope to remember these memories forever.

List #2: Places I went during those seven weeks
In Italy:
Rome
Florence
Siena
Sorrento
Pompei
Isola di Capri
Positano
Milan (only train station/airport)
Bolognia (only airport)
Pisa (only train station/airport)

In Ireland:
Cork
Limerick
Dublin

Frankfurt, Germany (airport...)

London, England

List #3: Places I want to go in the future
There are so many, I'll be happy if I even get to a few!

In Europe:
Venice, Verona, and Cinque Terre, Italy (didn't get a chance!)
Munich and Frankfurt, Germany
Paris, France
The French Riviera
Barcelona, Ibiza, Madrid, and Las Palmas, Spain
Brussels, Belgium
The Swiss Alps
Stockholm, Sweden

In Africa:
Egpyt
South Africa

In Asia:
Thailand
Hong Kong, China

In Latin & South America:
Panama
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Mexico
Machu Picchu


Well, I'll be dreaming for a while. My #3 list is LONG. My bank account definitely needs to have some more money in it before I think about doing any big trips in the future. But it's always okay to dream!

xo

Saturday, July 2, 2011

New College Fashion Post!

It is so bittersweet to see my last College Fashion post on the site! I had a blast writing for CF this semester and enjoyed every second of it.

For my last Looks on Campus post, I interviewed fellow GIF student Sara on Isola di Capri. It was such a beautiful setting for taking photos near the Mediterannean. Now that I'm back in the States, all I want to do is go back there!
Go here to read Sara's interview and see more photos of her fabulous outfit!
Go here to read all my other posts!

xo