awfully cute.
so since it is my birthday weekend, terry and i went to davis square today (really, i was waiting for him to get his hair cut). while i was waiting i had a great cup of coffee at diesel and then did some window shopping.
i wanted to buy myself a treat, so i went to my favorite store in davis square, called magpie. it reminds me of a cross between wyler's, ferdinand (which they sell in this store!! along with angela adams! no wonder it feels like home!), and the merchant company. hanging on the wall in the store were these oh-so-cute animal heads, called horrible adorables! though they were a little too much money for me today, they were just too cute not to share!
i wanted to buy myself a treat, so i went to my favorite store in davis square, called magpie. it reminds me of a cross between wyler's, ferdinand (which they sell in this store!! along with angela adams! no wonder it feels like home!), and the merchant company. hanging on the wall in the store were these oh-so-cute animal heads, called horrible adorables! though they were a little too much money for me today, they were just too cute not to share!
saturday: thoughts, inspirations, & other stuff.
so i am actually writing today's post from the beach. yeah, yeah, i know what you are thinking, tough life. but for me a saturday that both my boyfriend and i have off is rare. it makes me think i need to spend it running around getting "stuff" done to feel as though i have made it a productive day.
when terry asked if i wanted to go to the beach, i was a little bummed. we had talked about doing lots of somethings. not exactly sure what, but we weren't just going to lay around. since a friend of ours wanted to go, i went along with my rule of summer and said yes.
after about an hour laying on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves, smelling those summer smells, and feeling the hot sun on my skin, i knew this was the right choice. i am trying to learn to live in the moment and it is really hard. as i listened to my boyfriend ask what we were doing tonight, what we were doing about lunch, and many other questions about the future, i knew we both had a lot to learn. by being at the beach today, i am teaching my self a lesson. start living by the minute. not the day, not the week, not the month. yes, it's important to plan ahead, but when plans change, it's okay too. good things can also come from things not on your list of to-do's.
summer goes by fast, as does fall (not so much winter), so for today my to-do list can wait, but the sun and sand cannot. now i can say i went to the beach this summer.
when terry asked if i wanted to go to the beach, i was a little bummed. we had talked about doing lots of somethings. not exactly sure what, but we weren't just going to lay around. since a friend of ours wanted to go, i went along with my rule of summer and said yes.
after about an hour laying on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves, smelling those summer smells, and feeling the hot sun on my skin, i knew this was the right choice. i am trying to learn to live in the moment and it is really hard. as i listened to my boyfriend ask what we were doing tonight, what we were doing about lunch, and many other questions about the future, i knew we both had a lot to learn. by being at the beach today, i am teaching my self a lesson. start living by the minute. not the day, not the week, not the month. yes, it's important to plan ahead, but when plans change, it's okay too. good things can also come from things not on your list of to-do's.
summer goes by fast, as does fall (not so much winter), so for today my to-do list can wait, but the sun and sand cannot. now i can say i went to the beach this summer.
saturday: thoughts, inspirations, & other stuff.
summer is in full swing and if you are lucky, your bathing suit is now your number one accessory. i would live in ones like these. so flattering and so sexy.
saturday: thoughts, inspirations & other stuff.
i dont know about you, but i am feeling like the summer is going by too fast. it is already july. the fourth has passed and the new month is in full swing. so far, what have i got to show for this summer?
the way i feel.. not one thing. i know this may not be true and i am sure i have done some fun things, but i just want to live. it is summer. i want to let loose and be free. yeah, yeah, i know i have to go to work. but those few hours between work and sleep, i want to feel like i was a kid in the summertime. those ones before we had to get a job.
so here is what i have decided. now until the end of the summer, i am not saying no to anything. unless, of course it is dangerous, lifethreatening.. you get the point. i dont want to turn down an invitation. i dont want to make excuses. i want to try new things and go places and really just live. i dont want the end of the summer or the end of the year to come and to still feel like i am waiting for my life to happen. i want to make it happen. i just want to do.
in honor of do-ing, here are the first few things i 'did' this week:
on monday when it starting to pour in the afternoon, i thought about how much fun it would be to go out in it and how i've always wanted to. so i did. i went and stood in the rain and felt the drops hit my face. i laughed and twirled a few times. it felt really great.
also on monday, while taking some outfit photos at reiche school, i thought what a cool place to do a cartwheel. i hadnt done one in years, so i did it. it was ugly and it hurt, but it was still fun. terry then made me do it again so he could try to snap a picture.
these are simple and small, but they made me stop and take in the moment. to live my life without waiting for someone to live it for me.
here's to a summer full of living and of doing.
the way i feel.. not one thing. i know this may not be true and i am sure i have done some fun things, but i just want to live. it is summer. i want to let loose and be free. yeah, yeah, i know i have to go to work. but those few hours between work and sleep, i want to feel like i was a kid in the summertime. those ones before we had to get a job.
so here is what i have decided. now until the end of the summer, i am not saying no to anything. unless, of course it is dangerous, lifethreatening.. you get the point. i dont want to turn down an invitation. i dont want to make excuses. i want to try new things and go places and really just live. i dont want the end of the summer or the end of the year to come and to still feel like i am waiting for my life to happen. i want to make it happen. i just want to do.
in honor of do-ing, here are the first few things i 'did' this week:
on monday when it starting to pour in the afternoon, i thought about how much fun it would be to go out in it and how i've always wanted to. so i did. i went and stood in the rain and felt the drops hit my face. i laughed and twirled a few times. it felt really great.
also on monday, while taking some outfit photos at reiche school, i thought what a cool place to do a cartwheel. i hadnt done one in years, so i did it. it was ugly and it hurt, but it was still fun. terry then made me do it again so he could try to snap a picture.
these are simple and small, but they made me stop and take in the moment. to live my life without waiting for someone to live it for me.
here's to a summer full of living and of doing.
modswap!
i was lucky enough to be invited to julia's (from jeeze, julia) modcloth modswap! being a lover of clothing swaps and a member of the SWAPmaine team, this was my very first intimate, at home swap. julia did an amazing job with the decor and set up of the swap, which seemed like it would be easy for her based on how cute and amazing her apartment already was. i attended with my friend, michelle, who runs the goodwill of northern new england blog and one of her own, maine belle. michelle wrote a great recap of the swap over on the swapaholics blog. read her post for all the awesome details cause i am about to get to the clothes!
let's start from the beginning. the day before the swap, i started my pre spring cleaning. i sorted through my clothes and filled an ikea bag with clothes and13 pairs of shoes to take to the swap! dont worry i still have two more ikea bags full of clothes to swap with! i went to the modswap with the idea we like to base SWAPmaine around: give more than you take. and since i was already in the middle of a major closet overhaul, i only wanted to bring home really cool pieces.
after drinks and snacks, we got to shop the swap and label our top 3 choices with super cute tags julia made. luckily for me, and everyone else, i went home with my top three choices. and here they are:
#1
let's start from the beginning. the day before the swap, i started my pre spring cleaning. i sorted through my clothes and filled an ikea bag with clothes and13 pairs of shoes to take to the swap! dont worry i still have two more ikea bags full of clothes to swap with! i went to the modswap with the idea we like to base SWAPmaine around: give more than you take. and since i was already in the middle of a major closet overhaul, i only wanted to bring home really cool pieces.
after drinks and snacks, we got to shop the swap and label our top 3 choices with super cute tags julia made. luckily for me, and everyone else, i went home with my top three choices. and here they are:
#1
#2
#3
other things i scored:
this fab necklace was one of the items donated from modcloth!
and of course you cant leave any good swap with out a little swag..
and check out the beautiful collar made by julia, herself! i cant wait to wear it!
oh, and i hear she is selling her handmade goodies at the merchant co!
i got some cool new things that i cant wait to wear. thank you to julia, modcloth, and swap.com for making my first at home swap super fun!
now i will be dreaming of swaps...
SWAPmaine cant come soon enough.
friday find: birchbox.
first off, this is my first video i have ever made so it is a little silly and a lot amateur. but either way this friday find is super cool. i have been subscribing to birchbox since last may and love getting a pretty pink box in the mail every month! it's filled with cool beauty products & they even have a blog full of how-to's for those of you like me who can't do hair or makeup to save your life. now sit back, relax, and have yourself a good laugh watching my video!
if you haven't checked out birchbox yet, you should.
and maybe sign up for your very own subscription too!
friday find.
this is a website full of tights and socks. who doesn't need tights and socks? especially when they come in 50+ fabulous colors and from prices starting at $3.50! this is my kind of shopping. every year i wait till the send of the season to stock up on tights when they go on sale, but now that i have found we love colors, i can get them now, when i need them! as for socks, i am all about adding a pop of color to any outfit. this is an easy and fun way to add crazy color without having to take too much of a risk.
go forth and add color!
(for little green.)
(haha.)
friday find.
on my break, i was surfing through the urban outfitters blog and i came across these leather bow bracelets by gabriela artigas. though the bracelets were cool, it wasn't what caught my eye. it was the skinny little rings on the model's pinky finger.
i love how sweet and delicate they look and at the same time, a little unexpected on the pinky. they remind me of ones my sister and i had when we were young. though these rings are beautiful, they are way out of my price range. it did spark a new interest in finding my own pinky rings.
my intuition tells me this is something i may find at ferdinand or d.cole.
i will keep you updated with my findings.
blogging for goodwill.
ever get overwhelmed shopping in a goodwill store?
read a few of my tips for a fun and successful shopping trip:
shopping for swimwear...
in honor of fourth of july weekend, i am going to share with you my bathing suit shopping trip! ahh! i know, it is a terrifying experience for most people, unless of course, you are a model. this year i promised myself a brand new bathing suit if i reached my fitness goals. i did not, but, because i did not reach them, i need a new suit for other reasons. i currently do not own one that flatters the body that i now have.
we have all tried ordering suits online and we have all had to send suits back. we have all tried heading to the mall, walking through department stores and big box chains and quickly realizing that our top and bottom do not fit in the same size bracket. this has to be one of the most frustrating types of shopping. i love to shop. but i don't love to shop for what we can think of as bra and underwear to wear in public. this year, i decided to try something different.
if i am going to invest in a swimsuit, i want to see a professional. i figured somewhere that specialized in swimwear would be the place to start. in maine, it is not easy to find many places, but i did find one, sun city tanning and swimwear. they are even fully stocked with bathing suits in the winter. and for those of you with a little something extra on top, they sell sizes higher than dd, all the way to e! sun city has been in business for our 10 years and the owner, donna, has so much knowledge about swimwear.
let me tell you about my personal experience here:
i went in to a wednesday morning. when you first walk in to sun city, it may be a little overwhelming. there are a lot of suits and a lot of styles & colors. i kind of thought to myself, how am i going to find what i like. how many damn suits will i have to put this semi out of shape body in. this is where donna comes in. when someone there asks you if you need help, PLEASE say yes! she literally pulled out each different style and explained to me how each one fit and which ones would work best on my body and honestly told me which ones would not work. this information made it easy to narrow down hundreds of bathing suits to only the few styles that i liked and that would flatter. after i decided which styles to try, i had to decided which colors and prints i want. i guess this part was easier because i know what colors i like best.
then came the worst part.. putting the suits on. it is one thing to try them on in private and it is a completely other thing to try them on and show someone else. i knew after how approchable donna had been so far, i felt comfortable enough to show her. i had 6 different colors with a variation of styles to try and i needed an opinion. it was so easy to pick the style of the top i wanted. i love a bandeau and i love something with a vintage feel. so after only trying on two tops, i knew what the style had to be.
next was picking the bottom. my legs are the part of my body i am most conscious about right now and not cutting them off or having something too tight on my butt was a big concern. i went through many styles and many sizes. got some honest feedback and found two i loved.
it all came down to picking the colors. i was torn between a purple top or a yellow top and a matching printed bottom. the yellow one wasn't in stock in the size i needed. donna told me she could order it. i knew after all that work it would be hard to leave the store without a bathing suit in hand, but i really couldn't walk away from the yellow. she let me keep the other suit on hold with the yellow's matching bottom until the top came in.
the top yellow top arrived, only a week later. now was the final test. i tried on both suits one last time. the yellow top had been on my mind, but i had to see the purple before i could make the final decision. the yellow won by a landslide. i love the purple top (same style as the yellow), but the whole suit together just didn't make me feel as great as the yellow did. i'm super excited to put on a bathing suit and actually feel good in it!
had i not let someone help me, i may have left without a suit. it is easy to look around and without feeling confident & without information, get discouraged and leave. it was the honest feedback and no judgement, just real knowledgable information that made this such an easy, positive experience.
just like i am in the business of using clothes to make women (and men!) more confident by making the right choices, donna does the same with a bathing suit. she wants every customer to leave happy and feeling beautiful in a suit that fits and flatters.
tips for swimsuit shopping
#1: look and feel good about yourself before entering the swim shop.
(at least put on a little makeup or a cute outfit)
#2 : do a few sit ups or jumping jacks before hand.
get that blood pumping and show the muscles you may have!
#3: ask for help. ask questions.
#4: be open-minded. the thing you thought you wanted
may be very different from what actually works.
#5: get a second opinion.
#6: don't worry about the size on the tag.
worry about the fit. no one will be seeing the tag.
#7: have fun!
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