Ode to Autumn

Thursday, November 16, 2017


Dress, Beret: c/o Miss Patina

These photos were taken while I was on a walk with my sister - we were drinking up one of the last warm Fall days, collecting leaves, taking photos, and enjoying each other's company while the sun slowly sank and bathed everything in golden light.

I wore this adorable navy knit dress from Miss Patina, the cat and bow details have my heart!













Colder Weather Wishlist

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Autumn

1. Mustard Skirt ♡ 2. Striped Blouse ♡ 3. Burgundy Cross Body Bag
4. Romeo and Juliet ♡ 5. Velvet Bow

Now that we are well into November, it's getting harder and harder to get away with wearing my go to uniform (short dress, thin tights) and the grey skies are definitely getting me down! So I've assembled a little wishlist centered around my favorite part of Fall and Winter: the clothing!

For Fall, I have been incorporating more rich tones into my wardrobe - think emerald, burgundy, navy, and my favorite lately, mustard. I envisioned visiting a cute bookstore for the above look, and would definitely pair this look with chunky tights and a cute coat for added warmth!

Winter

1. Faux Fur Pink Coat ♡ 2. Midnight Star Purse ♡ 3. Ear Muffs
4. Queen of Hearts Sunglasses ♡ 5. Pom Pom Flats

For winter, I always default back to my favorite - pastels! For the snow bunny effect ;) I couldn't find a photo that encapsulated what I was going for, so I just used an old outfit of my own as an example! If you know me, you know my penchant for pastel faux fur and pointed flats (preferably with pom poms) - and I wanted to add an extra element of magic with this sparkly purse and super cute earmuffs!

What pieces will you be wearing this Fall and Winter? I'm all ears! ♡

When Your Work Isn't "Good Enough"

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Last month, my best friend Lux asked me "How do you find motivation to keep at something when you're starting out and bad at it?" and I've been ruminating on it. As a perfectionist, self-taught Capricorn, I felt a little silly answering this because I feel like this all the time. In fact, I can probably count on my singular hand how many times I've been really happy with how one of my projects have turned out. But over the past few years, I have been able to come away with some tips and tricks that I regularly need to tell myself before embarking on a project, and wanted to share them with you! Because I know, feeling like your work isn't "good enough" can be gut-wrenching. Let's do it!

Lower Your Standards
While you are seeing all the little mistakes, comparing the work to what it could have been, everybody is seeing simply what is - and without that comparison they can see what is great about it! Let's take a photoshoot I recently did for example. In my mind, I had mocked up a beautiful shoot in front of a location. I was so excited - but once I was there, the location was not looking how I wanted in photos, and I couldn't figure out how to pose with it in the way I had envisioned. Defeated, I took some more photos and went home. I studied the photos on my computer and wanted to cry. I woke up the next day, looked at them some more, and realized something: they were actually still pretty good. Once I let go of this impossible standard of what was in my mind, I was able to appreciate what was actually tangibly in front of me.

Rome Was Not Built in a Day
You absolutely cannot expect yourself to be wonderful at something when you are first starting out. Any experience, even what you might perceive to be failure, is still a success because you are going forward with that experience under your belt, and the knowledge of what not to do. You need to let yourself fail, just learn from what you did wrong (or right!), and take those lessons with you onto your next project. Start small, and allow yourself to grow.

And let me tell you a little secret - if you hate how it turned out, you can always try again! You can reshoot, rewrite, revamp, or reboot later, when you are "better", and rerelease it!

You Are Wasting Time
I know, I know. This is the last thing you want to hear! And it's the last thing I want to tell myself. But this is a reality. All this time you are wasting trying to get motivated to create something you fear is going to suck, you are wasting the experience you will gain from it. You are wasting the opportunity of learning from your mistakes or successes, and you are wasting the possibility of making something even greater then you imagined. I could probably make myself cry thinking about what I could have done or where I could be if I had gained the experience from all the projects I was too afraid to pursue. We cannot let the fear of failure consume and cloud our thoughts so heavily it holds us back and enables these opportunities pass us by.

One project I really wanted to do was a lookbook set at my grandparents' house. I had drawn storyboards, picked out outfits, even wrote a little narrative down. But I kept putting it off because I wanted to do it "properly". This summer, they sold their house. This Spring, I wanted to do some portraits up against my seamless paper background of my darling dog, Maggie, but wanted to do it "perfectly" so I put it off. She passed away from cancer in May. I had and have missed my opportunity. And I really don't want you to miss yours. Stop taking for granted you will be able to do these things "later" when you are "better", and do it now. Before it's too late.

Because if you keep waiting for when you feel "good enough", you could be waiting forever.

Perfection Doesn't Exist
There have been many times I've asked friends, family, and peers for feedback on something and they said they liked the piece. I would then tell them about the "problems" I had with it, and they said they never would have noticed had I not pointed it out. I have seen pieces that were so incredible to me, and when I complimented the artist, they would say "Thank you but (points out something they perceive to be a mistake)".

I know telling yourself a version of perfection doesn't exist is hard, but you have to. If you really looked for a flaw, you could probably find a flaw in anything. You cannot allow yourself to get so caught up in the small details you can't see the big picture.

~
I sincerely hope some of this will help, even if it's a little bit! Please be gentle with yourself and remember: any progress, good or bad, is still progress. Please don't hold yourself back, I believe in you and I believe in myself, and we can do it!

Unrelated photos of me by Jimmy Marble.

Literary

Saturday, September 30, 2017


BLOUSE // PINAFORE // SOCKS // SHOES // All c/o of ModCloth

I am pleased as punch to team up with ModCloth again on another Fall look! Certain pieces immediately "tell" me a story when I see them - I like to make up little storylines around products that "speak to me" (who else does this?). That was definitely the case when I saw this adorable cat print button up and emerald pinafore - my mind immediately conjured up a girl surrounded by vintage books and beautiful fall leaves! I tried my best to make that a reality with these pictures, and borrowed a few books from my mothers collection (she loves vintage as much as I do)!

I paired these darling pieces with socks with cat faces on them (SO cute!) and mustard flats for a day consisting of haunting a few used bookshops. Truly the perfect way to spend a Fall day!

This post is in collaboration with Modcloth. All opinions are my own and only products I truly love are featured!















An Interview with Lace & Whimsy

Wednesday, September 27, 2017


Marie Enamel Pin * and Piece of Cake Enamel Pin *

I am super excited to share an interview with Kathy, the founder of Lace & Whimsy, a magical space on the internet filled with kitschy cute enamel pins, stickers, prints, and more! I have been following Kathy for quite some time now, and watching her build Lace & Whimsy from the ground up as been incredibly inspiring. Here, we talk about inspiration and what to do when you don't feel "enough".


How did Lace & Whimsy come to be?
I started Lace & Whimsy back in 2014 as a personal style blog and creative outlet. I didn't have any end game in mind, I was honestly just bored and uninspired with my day job in the accounting industry and wanted a place to share some pretty things in my little world. I soon found myself dabbling with design and creating my own blog graphics. (Everything I made at first was pretty cringey when I look back on it now, but you have to start somewhere!)

A few years ago, I stumbled up upon an Instagram niche devoted to planners, stickers, and stationery. I was fascinated. I wanted to make my own stickers from my illustrations and became determined to figure out how I could do just that. I launched my first sticker collection in early 2016 and have been expanding ever since. I now offer enamel pins, prints, and other stationery goodies, in addition to my sticker sheets, which are still my biggest seller. I have some other products up my sleeve I hope to be able to launch very soon so I can continue to expand my brand away from just stickers. I always feel like I have too many ideas and not enough time to execute them all.



What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve ever done?
My favorite piece I've ever done is almost always going to be whatever piece I've most recently completed. I'm really just getting started on my creative journey and I feel like my art is evolving very quickly. Though I still look back at many of my earlier pieces with love, I'm always giddy with pride at whatever I'm currently working on. That said, I think my Delicate Fxcking Flower collection may always be my favorite. The pin in particular has been a big seller -- I just love how this design really resonates with so many people!

Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspiration literally everywhere, it can be a little exhausting at times. My mind never stops. I definitely get a lot of inspiration from films. There are so many times I want to hit pause on a beautiful scene in an old movie and just draw it. I love watching animated shows and classic Disney movies. I focus on the way different things are drawn and what details artists choose to accentuate. I also get inspiration from taking walks or scrolling my favorite Instagram feeds. I'm never at a loss for what to create next. I have notebooks full of ideas I revisit when I'm feeling blah. I know if I browse through old pages, something is bound to spark my interest for my next project.


What advice would you give fellow creators feeling like they aren't "enough"?
Focus on your own creative journey. Don't compare yourself to others. Which is easier said than done, I have to remind myself of this constantly. There is always going to be someone who has better art, or a more curated Instagram feed, or a killer website. I try to focus on letting other creators' work motivate and inspire me on my own journey, while still staying true to my own unique voice and aesthetic.

The advice I give everyone is that whenever someone pays you a nice compliment about your work, write it down in a journal or keep a folder of screenshots. Revisit these kind words whenever you are feeling low and that your work isn't enough. Being vulnerable and putting your work out into the world is a brave thing. Keep on shining.

This post is in collaboration with Lace & Whimsy. All opinions are my own and only products I truly love are featured!

Under the Sea

Sunday, August 27, 2017


TANK & JEANS: c/o Samantha Pleet
PURSE: c/o Joanie Clothing SHOES: c/o Luxury Rebel
CUP: Urban Outfitters

Just a quick outfit post today! You all know Samantha Pleet is one of my all time favorite designers - and her summer collection is such a dream, especially these jeans fit for a mermaid! I hope you are having a lovely weekend!

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