Daylight

I'm back! I can't believe how long it has been since I last blogged...more than a month! This school year has been flying by. I know it's such a cliche that your senior year goes by so quickly, but it really is true. And not because it's "the best year of my life," or whatever people say, but I've just been so busy with SAT and ACT stuff, and cross country. And my college applications are in :) But now I finally have time for the blog again, which is good because I've missed taking photos and spending time online looking at art and reading other blogs.



I just took this photo today as it was starting to get dark out. Daylight savings time is so weird to me, it's getting dark an hour earlier and it's so hard to adjust.

Death or Glory

(the title is the name of my favorite Clash song at the moment)

I just ran my first cross country race ever yesterday...it was very tough, but very fun. I'm totally new to the sport; I've been a soccer player all my life and I wanted a little chang my senior year. But I've fallen in love with running, and slowly it's getting easier. I find myself spending a lot of my money on running gear now, and less on more fashion-forward clothes, but that's ok with me. I did find these great racing flats, I love the print and I need a new pair, so maybe...



Some other things I want:



I love this pretty embroidered blouse from Anthropologie, it's very feminine and the color is nice for fall.


This cupcake hat from fredflare.com is so cute! But I'm not sure I'd actually wear it. It's one of those things that's awesome to have just to say you have, like, "I have a cupcake hat!" But in reality, I probably wouldn't buy it :)

Lessons learned

Even though I haven't been working during the week, I find no time for blogging. I'm trying to soak up the last of summer vacation, in between cross country practices and a lot of volunteer activities, and trying to maintain a social life. But luckily I've also found time for some reading. This summer, it was my goal to read a lot of the classics. And I have - I finished The Bell Jar, Sense and Sensibility, and The Old Man and the Sea - all of which I loved, especially the last one. But I tried a few others, like The Scarlet Letter and The Lord of the Rings, which I could not get into and, to be honest, hated. It really annoys me when people force themselves to read classics, just for the sake of being able to say they read them. I guess that's kind of what I was doing though, even though I can tell when a book isn't for me, and I won't torture myself by trying to get through it. I did a lot of other reading too, though, especially historical fiction which is my favorite. The last book I finished was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was the only HP book I haven't read more than once. It was nice to read something I already know I love! Next, I think I might try a book my aunt recommended to me - Girls Like Us, it's a biography about Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon.

Sorry about the reading rant, I'm sort of a bookworm :) I felt like looking for some pretty photos today, here are some places where I'd love to read a good book.







photos from we heart it

Summer skin

The end of summer always makes me sad. Although the weather will still be warm for another month, the end of my favorite season signifies to me the end of a youthful time, and the beginning of more responsibility. I actually wrote a poem about this feeling, somewhat inspired by Death Cab for Cutie's song "Summer Skin". This summer is especially sad for me because some of my friends who are a year older than I am are going away to college, which reminds me that I'll be doing the same in only a year.


photo credits: we heart it, ihatemondays.com, rosie hardy on flickr.

Time and time again

My birthday is coming up next week...just a few things on my wishlist I'd thought I'd share. It's not too large of a list, because part of my present is going to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway this weekend!







PS Isn't this photograph so striking? I had found it saved away and just came across it, the model's eyes are so frightening and beautiful at the same time, just thought I'd share it.




photo credit: Starbucks and Jane Austen

Happiness

I'm in an unusually good mood today...the weather is so nice and I'm just sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and the flowers and loving life at the moment. Prom is tomorrow so I'm enjoying a stress free day before that. I just found these photos of Joni Mitchell, whose music I have been loving a lot lately. She has the greatest smile!

Uninspired.

Why is it that some days I am so inspired and filled with motivation to write and be artistic, yet on days like today when it is my job to be imaginative, nothing stirs my creative mind?

Like diamonds in your hair...

Just some things on my spring wishlist. Click to enlarge it and see all the pictures!

From top left: Kimono dress from shopruche.com, button shorts from Forever 21, Emily Dickenson poetry book, UO tulip skirt, Lanvin flats, UO sunnies, War Child Heroes CD, and a fern necklace from LeviticusJewelry.com .

About the CD; War Child Heroes is a compilation of songs originally done by music legends like Bob Dylan, the Kinks, Blondie, the Clash, and Iggy Pop, but covered by some of today's best acts including Lily Allen, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Kooks, Franz Ferdinand, Beck and TV on the Radio. Profits from the CD go towards the War Child organization, which aids children affected by war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other war-stricken areas. To find out more about this wonderful organization, click here.

I hope everyone is enjoying the second day of spring! I took advantage of the nice weather and went for a run today, it felt really good to just get out and moving.

Are you pondering what I'm pondering?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the current state of the economy and how it has affected fashion - for me personally and for the world in general. At the moment, I've been into a minimalist wardrobe, with classic staples and neutral colors. Looking through the Fall 2009 collections so far, I think many designers and I have been on the same wavelength.



Abaete



Boy by Band of Outsiders

But then, after seeing collections like Diane von Furstenberg and Erin Fetherston, not to mention all the couture shows last month, I've been having second thoughts.



Diane von Furstenberg



Erin Fetherston



Christian Dior


Shouldn't fashion be fun? I mean, minimalism is good. I'm a huge fan of minimalism (the photos I posted above were some of my favorites from the simpler collections). But the best part of fashion is the whimsical aspect, the clothes that tell a story. And however classic and impeccably styled some of the shows were, they just didn't cut it for me. Sure they were wearable and "retail-ready", but they weren't very inspiring. Of course I am a huge fan of simple, classic design and I always will be, but I think I may have had a change of heart after seeing some of these exciting collections. Fashion should be exciting, especially in these times. I think this great quote by John Galliano sums it up: "There's a credit crunch, not a creative crunch. Of course, everyone is being more careful with their discretionary purchases. I am. But it's our job to make people dream, and to provide the value in quality, cut, and imagination."

Dreamy.

photos by David Standish, via Foto Decadent

These photos have such a dreamy quality to me, with the foggyness and muted colors. Lately I've been dreaming a lot, but I can never remember them when I wake up. I find this hugely frustrating! I wish I could record my dreams somehow, and then watch them, wouldn't that be great? What do you dream about?

Lately.

Just a mish-mash of things I've been loving / wanting / thinking about lately.





From top left to right, clockwise:
I saw this headband on the Urban Outfitters website and fell in love with it. I
wouldn't consider paying their price for it, but I definitely want to try making my own.
I've been reading a lot of Jan Austen novels lately; right now it's Sense and Sensibility.
I love the idea of this Mayle trapeze dress for spring - it's light but the graphic black and white keep it interesting.
Eileen Donan castle in Scotland - I would love to plan a trip to see all the castles there.
I've been really inspired lately by Iris Apfel and her wonderfully eccentric outfits.
Franz Ferdinand's new CD "Tonight" just came out this week! It's great, I highly recommend it.
I'm lusting after this J. Dauphin necklace I found on lagarconne.com .

PS Sorry it's so small! Trying to fix that without cutting off any of the collage.

holiday remnants.

Just some photos I've snapped in the past few days of the holiday decorations before they're taken down, which is usually soon after Epiphany. I always feel sad after the holidays; the dark days and cold weather begin to depress me, and I have midterms coming up soon.