Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes

Come winter, I literally lose all interest in footwear. My mentality? Warm and dry, which explains the dirty UGG boots to work everyday. But after browsing numerous photos form New York fashion week, surfing through Spring catalogues, and taking my first trip down Newbury Street since October, I'm dying to slip into some heels, straps, or studs.

My top 5:

{JCrew}

{Aldo}

{Michael Kors}

{BCBG MaxAzria}

{Seychelles}

Plus! For your creative desires:

{DIY ballerina slippers with punch studs}

Fierce.

Ruffle My Feathers

For those that know me well, I believe it is agreeable to say I have a thing for flowers. They seem to appear in my outfit everyday whether I mean it or not. Between shirts, skirts, and rings I can essentially become a walking bouquet. Now, despite my affinity for florals, I think it's necessary to start acquiring some new textures for the Spring closet. In order to maintain the whimsical romantic look, I am determined to find lots of ruffles, maybe some pleats, an assortment of lace, and a gorgeous night sky. 

From W Magazine

Love You Madly

It's Valentine's Day and I just saw a Nicholas Sparks novel in theaters with a gigantic white teddy bear as my date. Just kidding, the bear was with the cute couple on the other side. I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day and not because the lack of a valentine, I just don't think Hallmark deserves money for tricking people on the notions of love. But, I can't help but be amused by all the cute-ness surrounding February 14th. Sure, the fluff, the pink, and the guy at Starbucks who asks where your flowers are can get aggravating, but with a little creativity and imagination, we can all find some love today. 

Here's my top 5 alternative Valentine's Day activities:

1. See a movie! Go see Wolfman, not Dear John. No explanation necessary.

2.  Forget diamonds. Visit a bead shop like this and make some new jewelry.

3. Eat Cupcakes. Bake 'em or buy 'em but nothing compares to the smile after a cupcake.

4. Grab lunch with your gal-pal. I mean coffee and conversation is where true love lies after all, and that's unconditional.

5. Craft something cute. There are tons of projects here and you can create something lovely.

Happy Valentine's Day! xxx 

photos by misswallflower and kissez

Spring Into Florals

I'm not quite sure what it is about February that makes me constantly crave color. It might be the blandness all around. The trees are bare, the ground is covered in snow, and everything is rather dirty. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm so bitter cold I hardly see anything at all while my face is buried in a scarf protected from Boston's windy bite. Whatever the reason, I pull on my baggy gray trousers every morning, I pass the same boring black peacoats on the T, and I stare down at the monotonous brown suede shoes on the sidewalks, for what? Well, mostly I'd say it's to fit in with the day. We're cold, uncomfortable, and we feel out of season, just like Fenway. But good news, because Spring training is just around the corner!

Our uniforms? Look no further but this season's florals & stripes!



Photos from Vogue January 2010

I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands...

Twenty-two hits in just about one hour.

I haven't had much time lately to think about turning another year older. I'm excited that 21 has come and gone, it was quite a year.

I traveled to London and Ireland, Spain and Greece, Rome and Portugal, Amsterdam and Bruges. I discovered the vast and beautiful Bible belt while venturing to Bonnaroo.

I watched the sunset on Primrose Hill with a bottle of wine and best friends. I watched the sunrise after staying up all night and despite my headache, it was undeniably gorgeous. I started to believe in vampires and Robert Pattinson. I danced to techno. I danced in the rain.

I bought my first car and I named her Lola. I bought my first Phish ticket, followed by 4 more to complete the tour. I made mistakes, a lot of mistakes. I changed my mind incessantly. I learned.

Twenty-one took someone away. Someone that could bring you happiness just with his smile. He was the best. 

But twenty-one brought many newbies. And twenty-two will bring many more new things. And if anything has gotten me through all the travels, the mistakes, the lessons, and losses, these twenty-one...-two years of life, it has been the music. Songs of old and new, good and bad, I have heard them all. So here, I compiled the 22 for my twenty-two.

Year Twenty-Two

1. Hang On- Dr. Dog

2. White Limo- The Felice Brothers

3. I Heard Your Voice in Dresden- Elvis Perkins

4. Tonight- Sibylle Baier

5. All When We Were Young- The Felice Brothers

6. Come On Up to the House- Tom Waits

7. Full Force Gale- Van Morrison

8. Gotta Keep Walking- Willy Mason

9. I Shall Be Released- The Band

10. Miles From Nowhere- Cat Stevens

11. Let It Loose- The Rolling Stones

12. Heavy Metal Drummer- Wilco

13. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You- Bob Dylan

14. Till The Morning Comes- Grateful Dead

15. Chalkdust Torture- Phish

16. Ophelia- Levon Helm

17. Late in the Evening- Paul Simon

18. This Will Be Our Year- The Zombies

19. This Time Tomorrow- The Kinks

20. What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, & Understanding- Elvis Costello

21. My Sharona- The Knack

22. If I Should Fall From Grace With God- The Pogues

Bonus Track: Bad Romance- Lady Gaga

**And yes, if you're wondering, the very best birthday present is still a mix-tape.

We Can Change the Moon

Once again, I lost myself within the monotonous necessities of everyday and for that I have to apologize. I hate when I do that. I hate when I'm so caught up that I unravel, unmotivate, unbecome myself. Do you ever feel that way?

It's always a phone call, or an email, or a phone call because of an email; or a dinner, or a drink, or a drink that turns into dinner. It's always something. Typically something with someone I love, but it's always something. Slowing down now to take in a cool February breath...

If there's one thing all this hubbub has done, it has made me think. Not that my thought processes were turned off or anything, but I think a different bulb has started to flicker. The new light is confusing and enchanting at the same time. Everything I thought I wanted and where I was going after graduation is changing. My ideas of a career are suddenly not as absolute as I had imagined and the prospect of being back at the bottom are truly scary. 

I realize that my only answer is this: happiness.

All I want is to be just above content every morning and every night so that smiling is never a challenge and dancing never seems like exercise. I never want to think that a view from a skyscraper is "beautiful" or enjoy a $15 cocktail. I never want to forget what the country sky looks like at night or what New England feels like in October. I want to, now more than ever, recognize when I am happiest and who I am happiest with, because then I believe the rest will just fall naturally. 

Happy heart month friends!

photos from mary ruffle. detour through wonderland. miss wallflower