i'm here!

i arrived in paris yesterday and settled into my host family's home in tours last night. the family is very nice and i've done the bulk of my unpacking (i immediately regret the decision to pack my body weight in clothes and shoes). currently missing my family and dreaming of american closets with a place for everything and everything in its place:

i arrived in paris yesterday and settled into my host family's home in tours last night. the family is very nice and i've done the bulk of my unpacking (i immediately regret the decision to pack my body weight in clothes and shoes). currently missing my family and dreaming of american closets with a place for everything and everything in its place:

interior inspiration

no better way to start the day than with a portfolio of stunning interiors by the incredibly gifted ryan korban.

those furry chairs are fabulous.

how did he know i love books?

more beautiful books.

no better way to start the day than with a portfolio of stunning interiors by the incredibly gifted ryan korban.

those furry chairs are fabulous.

how did he know i love books?

more beautiful books.

the prettiest palette

dreaming of the perfect color scheme for the bedroom of my senior year downtown house. the walls are currently lavender and the layout is a lot like this:

with bay windows lining the wall across from the door, the bed fitting nicely along one side with the desk opposite. dressers can be nicely tucked into the oversized closet that runs the length of the room so at least that's not a concern. the biggest thing now is to start thinking about paint and fabrics and the colors that i want to use in this space. i have to assume that a lot of these choices will carry over into my first apartment so these are important decisions! do we paint the walls white and go with a little lime and turquoise like these examples?

brown walls with lots of colorful touches?

lots of pink and white?

pretty pink and orange?

or white with lots of colorful art and posters?

what colors would you choose if you were redecorating your bedroom? do you care for any of these rooms or palettes in particular? as this will be my very first decorating project (and i will have until august to bring it to life), i'll take all the help i can get!

dreaming of the perfect color scheme for the bedroom of my senior year downtown house. the walls are currently lavender and the layout is a lot like this:

with bay windows lining the wall across from the door, the bed fitting nicely along one side with the desk opposite. dressers can be nicely tucked into the oversized closet that runs the length of the room so at least that's not a concern. the biggest thing now is to start thinking about paint and fabrics and the colors that i want to use in this space. i have to assume that a lot of these choices will carry over into my first apartment so these are important decisions! do we paint the walls white and go with a little lime and turquoise like these examples?

brown walls with lots of colorful touches?

lots of pink and white?

pretty pink and orange?

or white with lots of colorful art and posters?

what colors would you choose if you were redecorating your bedroom? do you care for any of these rooms or palettes in particular? as this will be my very first decorating project (and i will have until august to bring it to life), i'll take all the help i can get!

best friends

saying good bye to a number of friends today and feeling a little down — particularly about my bestest friend, who will be moving to florida with her family before i return from my semester abroad. thought i would share some pretty pictures today because, really, where would we all be without our best friends?

saying good bye to a number of friends today and feeling a little down — particularly about my bestest friend, who will be moving to florida with her family before i return from my semester abroad. thought i would share some pretty pictures today because, really, where would we all be without our best friends?

celebrity errands

curious as to how the olsen twins make running errands look good. i usually don't mind errands (the idealized version of cruising from the post office to the grocery store blasting music, sans grumpy postal workers, freezing grocery aisles, long lines, and traffic) but lately tasks like standing in line at cvs — despite my sister's company and entertainment — seem painfully long and boring. perhaps one or two more of the olsen's go-to accessory, the venti coffee cup, would make my chores less dreary.

curious as to how the olsen twins make running errands look good. i usually don't mind errands (the idealized version of cruising from the post office to the grocery store blasting music, sans grumpy postal workers, freezing grocery aisles, long lines, and traffic) but lately tasks like standing in line at cvs — despite my sister's company and entertainment — seem painfully long and boring. perhaps one or two more of the olsen's go-to accessory, the venti coffee cup, would make my chores less dreary.

brrr

daydreaming of warm weather and green leaves and pink flowers and pretty houses and sunny porches to escape the dark and cold reality of winter in connecticut.

daydreaming of warm weather and green leaves and pink flowers and pretty houses and sunny porches to escape the dark and cold reality of winter in connecticut.

dog tired

the countdown to my departure for france is a mere 48 hours and there's still lots of preparation to be done. countless errands, good byes to friends, packing, packing, and more packing... it seems like, for every item i'm able to cross off on my to do list, three more tasks take its place.

wishing i could just pass out like this little guy:

and wake up refreshed and raring to go.

the countdown to my departure for france is a mere 48 hours and there's still lots of preparation to be done. countless errands, good byes to friends, packing, packing, and more packing... it seems like, for every item i'm able to cross off on my to do list, three more tasks take its place.

wishing i could just pass out like this little guy:

and wake up refreshed and raring to go.

the beauty of books

spent much of the day at barnes & noble scouring travel guides for next semester (when i will be studying in france) and leafing through interior design books. love that books can also be employed as a powerful decor statement once they have been read:

colorful spines add to an already colorful sitting room.

interesting idea to display books with their covers showing instead of their spines.

lots of books add life to lots of white.

we all know jamie of i suwannee shares this love of bookcases!

a personal favorite.

spotted: books as side tables.

floor-to-ceiling bookcases for the true collector.

spent much of the day at barnes & noble scouring travel guides for next semester (when i will be studying in france) and leafing through interior design books. love that books can also be employed as a powerful decor statement once they have been read:

colorful spines add to an already colorful sitting room.

interesting idea to display books with their covers showing instead of their spines.

lots of books add life to lots of white.

we all know jamie of i suwannee shares this love of bookcases!

a personal favorite.

spotted: books as side tables.

floor-to-ceiling bookcases for the true collector.

watercolor envy

she's been featured on daily candy and in lonny, but (in case you were born yesterday) i thought i'd share the happy watercolors of new york painter caitlin mcgauley here too. (she even has a blog!)

dying of artistic envy.

she's been featured on daily candy and in lonny, but (in case you were born yesterday) i thought i'd share the happy watercolors of new york painter caitlin mcgauley here too. (she even has a blog!)

dying of artistic envy.

an investment in my future

...or at least that's what i'm calling it. hot pink envelopes to send out with cover letters and resumes for internship opportunities.

jam paper and envelopes 9" x 12" clasp envelope in ultra fuchsia

searched long and hard for these puppies but i think they're the perfect hue of attention-grabbing-forget-me-not-and-give-me-the-job pink — and they're a bargain at 50 cents each!

...or at least that's what i'm calling it. hot pink envelopes to send out with cover letters and resumes for internship opportunities.

jam paper and envelopes 9" x 12" clasp envelope in ultra fuchsia

searched long and hard for these puppies but i think they're the perfect hue of attention-grabbing-forget-me-not-and-give-me-the-job pink — and they're a bargain at 50 cents each!

an advertiser's dream

i'm a sucker for just about anything that comes in a pretty package. we're not just talking presents in colorful paper — any package that catches my eye, regardless of its content, will most likely wind up in my cart. it's usually something plain, nothing flashy or desperate (you know what i mean: 300% DAILY CALCIUM REQUIREMENT!!!), with a well-coordinated color scheme and straightforward logo and typography. the archer farms food products from target fit the bill rather nicely:

the neutral colors, the charming logo, the sans-serif typeface... alas (be proud!) i've thus far resisted the temptation to give them a try. does anyone else share my "problem?" and have you fallen for this line in particular?

i'm a sucker for just about anything that comes in a pretty package. we're not just talking presents in colorful paper — any package that catches my eye, regardless of its content, will most likely wind up in my cart. it's usually something plain, nothing flashy or desperate (you know what i mean: 300% DAILY CALCIUM REQUIREMENT!!!), with a well-coordinated color scheme and straightforward logo and typography. the archer farms food products from target fit the bill rather nicely:

the neutral colors, the charming logo, the sans-serif typeface... alas (be proud!) i've thus far resisted the temptation to give them a try. does anyone else share my "problem?" and have you fallen for this line in particular?

21 things by 21

i'm borrowing this idea from the wonderful jordan over at oh happy day!, who posted a list a while back of 30 things she wanted to accomplish before her 30th birthday. i love the idea of listing and sharing goals, big and small, as a way to stay productive and hold myself accountable. (not bad timing considering the myriad resolutions everyone is making this time of year anyway!) without further ado, my list:

1. do something with my hair

2. pack sensibly for france

3. see as much of europe as is humanly and financially possible

4. ...and take thousands of pictures

5. spend valentine's day with boyfriend in paris (february 14)

6. plan boyfriend an amazing birthday getaway (may 1)

7. apply to at least ten internships (january and february)

8. secure a french internship for the month of may

9. secure a paid internship for the summer (or second job if internship is unpaid)

10. pennsylvania trip to paint bedroom of senior year house (july)

11. decorate bedroom of senior year house (and stick to the budget!)

12. create a better photo display for upstairs hallway at home

13. update family address book

14. read 12 new books (one per month, recommendations appreciated)

15. blog here five times per week

16. comment on at least one other blog per day (this shouldn't be too hard considering i follow about 13 trillion others)

17. start a study abroad blog to keep family and friends updated

18. stay a vegetarian (could be challenging considering language barrier and cultural customs in france)

19. get all a's and b's during semester abroad (is this too easy? too hard? not sure what the classes will be like but i'm sure the distraction of travel will be a recurring issue)

20. throw a 21st birthday party in new york (august 9)

21. end my twentieth year feeling more independent, more worldly, happier, healthier, and otherwise better!

i'm borrowing this idea from the wonderful jordan over at oh happy day!, who posted a list a while back of 30 things she wanted to accomplish before her 30th birthday. i love the idea of listing and sharing goals, big and small, as a way to stay productive and hold myself accountable. (not bad timing considering the myriad resolutions everyone is making this time of year anyway!) without further ado, my list:

1. do something with my hair

2. pack sensibly for france

3. see as much of europe as is humanly and financially possible

4. ...and take thousands of pictures

5. spend valentine's day with boyfriend in paris (february 14)

6. plan boyfriend an amazing birthday getaway (may 1)

7. apply to at least ten internships (january and february)

8. secure a french internship for the month of may

9. secure a paid internship for the summer (or second job if internship is unpaid)

10. pennsylvania trip to paint bedroom of senior year house (july)

11. decorate bedroom of senior year house (and stick to the budget!)

12. create a better photo display for upstairs hallway at home

13. update family address book

14. read 12 new books (one per month, recommendations appreciated)

15. blog here five times per week

16. comment on at least one other blog per day (this shouldn't be too hard considering i follow about 13 trillion others)

17. start a study abroad blog to keep family and friends updated

18. stay a vegetarian (could be challenging considering language barrier and cultural customs in france)

19. get all a's and b's during semester abroad (is this too easy? too hard? not sure what the classes will be like but i'm sure the distraction of travel will be a recurring issue)

20. throw a 21st birthday party in new york (august 9)

21. end my twentieth year feeling more independent, more worldly, happier, healthier, and otherwise better!