rainbow

rounding up some office-appropriate dresses in every color of the rainbow was a post i've planned to do for a while now. i wanted to do it just because i thought it would be pretty.

red | orange | yellow | blue | green | indigo | violet

but today seemed like the perfect day to do it. 

and here's a necklace, some earrings and a cuff that would go well with these looks. but i'd only wear the necklace with the scoop neck dresses (orange, green, indigo).

good for you, delaware.

first position

yet another documentary for me to love.

maybe it's up your alley too?

either way, i'm all ready to go see it. if you're local, it's showing here.

see you in line!

dots

via pinterest
i can't find the original artist/source for this.
pls let me know if you have any clue where this came from.
edited: i *think* i found the original source/artist.

the internet is blowing up with tributes to steve jobs.

as well it should.

what a legacy to leave behind.

_ _ _

i've been talking about dreams lately, and going after what you want. 

years ago, when i was just starting out at my first 'real job' out of college, i somehow stumbled across a transcript of the commencement address steve jobs gave at stanford.

i started reading it, thinking it was just another opportunity to make the time pass quicker at work.

but as i read it, his message really touched me.

i didn't have a blog at the time, so i did the next best thing: copied and pasted the text into a word document that lived on my desktop for the rest of the time i worked there. 




i worked there for almost six years and read it so many times, i lost count.

cheesy?

maybe.

but it moved me.

i'd forgotten about that speech. until last night.

read it here
[excerpt below]

_ _ _

"you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. you have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. this approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." 

_ _ _

it's difficult if not impossible to see how things will shape up for you when you're just starting out. but i re-read his speech today during my lunch hour and teared up.

then i took a deep breath and tried to remember that everyone, even steve jobs, started somewhere.

thanks for the reminder.

RIP

coating

via polyvore

been thinking about outerwear quite frequently, ever since my zara post from last week.

some most of these are wayyy out of my budget, but that's what's fun about the internet, right? 

i can look at these all day + it costs nothing.

_ _ _

the collarless one in the first row is my hands-down fave. 

potw: me!

on the very rainy (and very chilly!) saturday we just had, i took my first letterpress class

pic by me | letterpress by me!

at the risk of sounding like the corniest person alive, i'll just say that i couldn't have asked for a better class. there were four other women there taking the class with me and everyone was so sweet and excited to be there, it just made the day that much more fun.

suann herself was so welcoming and accommodating to everyone (we even got to sample some delicious mini whoopie pies!) and spent time answering everyone's questions. she gave a fantastic overview of how she got started, and it left me even more inspired than i already was. 

i love people who just go after what they want. 


and i love being around successful businesswomen.

we learned about the art of letterpress, dipped our toes into the glossary of letterpress words (quoin anyone?), and got to watch suann operate her beloved pearl. 

the whole time, the only thing that kept running through my head is 'this is so cool'

just to be there, in that creative space, with creative ladies who made their own way in the world, i was so happy. when the boy came to pick me up, i was talking a mile a minute from my spot on cloud nine.

the lecture part of the class woulda probably been enough for me, but!

we got to make our own! 

i loved the ridiculously meticulous nature of picking up the itty bitty letters one at a time. you can see my final product in the first picture. below, i used a comma instead of an apostrophe. oops.

pic by me | comma by accident

i hard a hard time narrowing down what i wanted my cards to say but figured thank you cards are always useful. suann was even sweet enough to let us pick out envelopes!

i chose these grey ones.

pic by me 

i definitely recommend this class to anyone who wants a great overview of letterpress. seriously,  i learned so much, and i don't remember the last time i was this excited about something.

i also snagged a few things from her newly opened fifteen eleven shop

mini notebook purchased at fifteen eleven by suitor | pic by me

i always think of things during the day and wish i had somewhere to jot them down. now i have a place. 

good luck postcard purchased at fifteen eleven by set editions | pic by me

the good luck postcard is just for fun. i just love kraft paper/chipboard with bright colors.

_ _ _

can't stop smiling.

thanks so much for opening your doors, suann. 

pumped

via simplesong

yes

another letterpress post

but this one is different!

today, i signed up for the beginning letterpress lecture through simplesong design + i really could not BE MORE PUMPED.

see? i even busted out caps lock for this. 

i've talked about simplesong before, so it's really a dream come true to take this class. 

dig it!

new addition

via tad carpenter

i've been feeling especially grateful for the people in my life, for the people with whom i share my home.


then, i saw this last week

thought about it over the weekend

decided it needed to come home with me. 

to live. 

 forever. 

the print was created by tad carpenter, whose work can only be described as freaking r-a-d

seriously. i'm blown away by his illustrations.


_ _ _


bonus!


tad + his wife jessica's home was featured on design*sponge a while back. just a sampling below.

via design*sponge

i love the eclectic feel of the place.


the boy and i have been scouring the plentiful georgia ave antique/thrift stores lately.


i gotta post some of my finds. it's been so fun digging for treasure.


we've only been in our new home for five months. it's a work in progress. 




but that's all part of the fun.


_ _ _




like what you see on tad's site? 


buy something. it'll be awesome!

falling for

fall's not my favorite.

\grumble grumble\

but with each new season, however dreadful the weather, comes an opportunity to shop.

gotta love that at least

by couldawoudapica via polyvore

at any given point i need want a ton of new fashions.

but here's what i'm most excited about for fall.

1. new work blouses. i've had it with cardigans. love em, but i'm trying to switch it up.

2. bold necklaces. i bought this one recently. it's made me hungry for more.

3. new work flats. this too-chilly-for-early-september weather has forced me to bust out my 2010 models. upgrades are definitely needed. 

4.chambray! i've held off long enough.

5. post/stud earrings. especially in gold. the ones i wear every other day are getting a little tired.

6. boots. in multiple heights. i've had riding boots for a couple of seasons. but i'm excited to try out these new hiker/doc marten-y brown ones.

three meals

breakfast | get outta here caraway seeds

lunch | chipotle burrito bowl

if i can go on a teeny tiny tangent here, i have to really commend chipotle for setting the standard in their industry.

"food with integrity" they call it.

an excerpt from their site:

"...our commitment to finding the very best ingredients, raised with respect for the animals, the environment, and the farmers."

there's even more here. 
_ _ _

i hope that a generation from now, this is how all 'convenience food' purveyors will operate. and besides being admirable and ahead of nearly all of their competitors, it's simply the right thing to do. 

the problem is that so few people know/care. but those who do care, continue to make more and more noise. i have to believe they'll be heard some day. 

dinner | the best mini meatloaf you'll ever have

stevie

via | original post via flickr user amy rice

dreams

via we heart it

i have so many dreams.

dreams that never involve a nine-to-five, k-cup machines, or banal weather discussions with coworkers.

no.

the problem i have is that my dreams are many and varied. one day, i'm thinking i want to pursue photography with a rabid passion. the next? it's time to open an event design company. the week after? why haven't i opened my own letterpress studio? or at least scoured craigslist for the last remaining letterpress machine on earth.

truth is, i don't know where i'll end up. but i'm excited for the journey.

won't you join me?

behind the scenes

checking tommy ton's jak & jill blog is a near-daily ritual for me.

all proenza schouler images by tommy ton via jak & jil blog

the vibrant colors, the large-format photos, the seemingly all-access fashion pass he must carry on his person at all times


 i love it all. 

all jason wu images by tommy ton via jak & jill blog

he updates often, the pictures are always beautiful, and he lets you into a world that few of us will ever see first hand. 




if it's not part of your morning coffee/blog routine, let's change that!

no words

i've always loved good, clean interior design.

i used to only admire homes from afar, dreaming of the day when i'd get a chance to have one of my own. 

back in april, the boy and i were fortunate enough to be able to purchase our first home.* 
i love it there, even though early summer travel has kept me out of it more often than i'd like.

there's plenty of amazing apartments and homes showcased daily on sites like apartment therapy and dwell. pinterest has simply allowed me to cast a wider net..uhhh, on the internet. 




anyways, i found this one today via pinterest and it just needed to be shrared. 

i mean come ON

enjoy.

all images via house of turquoise by hiya papaya
(the homeowner is also a talented photographer!)

if you're still dying to see more, check out the original posts (it's a five-part series!) on house of turquoise

there's definitely some aspects of the home that aren't 100% me, but that's why it's not mine, right? 




i just love their pops of color, use of textures and patterns, and the bright and airy feel that's carried throughout the whole home. 

*check back in 10 years when i've been able to do this to my pad. 

i want to live here

all images by the brooklyn home company via digsdigs

everything about this place is pretty damn perfect.

inspired

i get wrapped up in elaborate daydreams about owning a letterpress studio approximately  354,545 times an hour.

that's a rough estimate.

image via simplesong

but there are some luckyass people out there already doing it.

suann song of simplesong design is one.

(note: simplesong design is part of the hive at 1511)

by chance, i came across a post about how she got her start. as someone who loves procrastination so much, i dedicated a blog to that glamourous lifestyle, i found her post especially inspiring.

excerpt time!

"honestly, it's not for everyone.

to do it day in and day out ... you have to love it.

but if you get it right, it can be extremely rewarding."

love.

read the entire post here.

now go. grab that dream.