saturday in new york

On Saturday I spent the day in New York with Polly from The Littlest Polly! We went to the Museum of Modern Art about an hour before closing but somehow managed to see practically every floor! We had so much fun! Polly is a huge Andy Warhol fan and got to see a bunch of his works, and I was gawking in disbelief at some of the really famous paintings they had on display (Starry Night?!?) I was an art history major in college but I hardly ever find time to go to museums anymore, so this was a rare treat.

I just had such a fun time. I'm always nervous when I'm meeting internet friends for the first time in real life, but Polly is so incredibly sweet and friendly that I forgot about being nervous pretty much instantly. I always thought she seemed like one of the most awesome girls on the internet and she's even more awesome in person! I can't wait to hang out again :)



I look like such a dork in basically every photo from Saturday but oh well!  My dress is an old one from Romwe, shoes are urban outfitters, belt is from another dress and the glasses are from firmoo. The tote bag is my Hypatia bag from sweet and lovely.



Polly is so sweet and SO fun! I'm a little (ok a lot) jealous of her posing instincts and ridiculous eye for color pairing. If you aren't already familiar with her blog, get over there right now. Seriously just skip the rest of this post. GO.



Looking like a dweeb next to Starry Night.



See what I mean with the cute posing? ah!

wherever you go, there you are

I wore this last Thursday in Utica, NY. I needed to get a new piece of luggage so we stopped at a Big Lots as we were leaving the city. It just happened to have a really pretty (in my opinion) greyish blue wall that seemed perfect for taking pictures. I'm so used to taking outfit photos in my bedroom that I really get excited about scouting backgrounds when I take them outside! Oh, and the Big Lots ended up having this perfect purple and cream colored luggage that was marked down from its retail price of $288 (!!!) to only $55. Pretty exciting.

Also, in Utica we stopped for lunch at Swifty's Pub and Restaurant and I had the best burger ever. They have a burger on their menu called the Buffalo Burger, which is a breaded, deep fried burger topped with buffalo sauce. I asked if they could substitute the beef burger for a veggie one and they obliged. I also asked if they could switch the sauce to BBQ since I much prefer that, and it was out of this world good! When you're a vegetarian there aren't too many greasy artery-clogging options besides french fries and dessert. And that's definitely a good thing in the big scheme of things, lol. I do love eating healthy and try to make good food choices whenever I can... but this was a really nice treat ;)

dress- modcloth | shoes - c/o bait footwear | bag - c/o wet seal

worth it.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I got to stay with one of my best friends, Sarah. We've actually known each other for almost five years but didn't get to meet in person until this week! I had SO much fun with her and her family, it definitely made my bout of homesickness worth it. I think getting to meet the three other friends in our little BFF group (Casey, Millie and Nicola) is my incentive for following through on my road trip :) Next year we're all going to meet up together for the TCM Film Festival in California and I can't wait!! :D

Sarah and her family showed me and Kyle around Buffalo and we had a blast! I was so sad when it was time to leave! I wish Buffalo wasn't so far away from where I live or I'd visit like every weekend if they'd have me! Really though, they were so welcoming (and awesome!!) and helped me feel a lot less homesick :)

Today we're back in Syracuse again, and then I think we're going to head for either Vermont or New Hampshire. We're definitely winging it lol

ps. On Tuesday morning we did the Maid of the Mist! Kyle has the photos on his phone still but when I finally get them on my computer I'll post some. I'm going to be very stingy with my use of the word "epic" now that I've been on that boat. Seriously, nothing else comes even close to that amount of epicness.

dress- c/o tulle | shoes - asos | bag - c/o wet seal

road trip, day one!

Right now I'm sitting at a rest stop in Syracuse, NY, on my way to Niagara Falls! So far everything is going smoothly and I'm really enjoying the scenery while we drive. Me and my brother have spent most of the trip building a playlist on my ipod, a difficult task since we have wildly different taste in music. But we seem to find common ground when Frank Sinatra songs come on, so he'll probably be crooning through the speakers through most of our vacation!

Tomorrow will be the first time I try packing orders and doing business on the road, so I really hope it goes over well! I can't wait to show you guys the pictures of the mobile workstation I made in my car trunk. I spent most of Saturday just sitting outside starting at it because I was so proud lol ;D

Also YES I am wearing jeans in this picture. I KNOW. I ordered and returned about five pair online before finding these... I really wanted a pair for the trip that I could wear on days that would mostly be spent in the car. These have proved to be super comfortable so far and they aren't riding down like all the jeans I've owned in the past. I always have a hard time finding denim that fits my small-waist-huge-hips ratio but these are working great! I got them from modcloth, here. The shoes are from Payless and the bag is vintage :)

I'll try to blog as often as the wi-fi gods will allow, but I'll definitely be posting on instagram a lot if you want to follow along with my road trip adventures!

wednesday in new york

On Wednesday me and my brother went to New York to do some Christmas shopping and see the tree at Rockefeller Center. Even though it's jam-packed with people who had the same idea, it's still incredibly magical. Being in the city this time of year is magical in and of itself... street musicians are playing seasonal tunes, red and green lights sparkle everywhere and stores have wintery window displays. It was so festive, this dueling sibling duo hardly bickered at all! I think we definitely started a new annual tradition this week ;)

Coat - vivetta | Hat and shoes - asos | Scarf - f21 | Bag - c/o romwe | Gloves - h&m

seventy five

My grandmom is turning 75 today, so my mom has a whole week of little day trips planned to celebrate. Yesterday we went to The Cloisters in New York for the first time. If you're not familiar, it's a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to Medieval architecture and artwork. It was built in the 1930's to resemble medieval monasteries, and there are actually parts of the building, like two chapels and a couple cloisters, that were brought over from Europe, so they're actually from the 12th-15th century! For me, my brother and my grandmom, this was especially exciting since we've never been overseas. So these were the oldest structures we've ever seen!

It's absolutely breathtaking there. It was quiet and peaceful, and a bell rang out to mark the hours. The gardens were especially beautiful, and they had herbs growing so the scent was amazing! The weather was gorgeous, not too hot, and the rain held out until after we left. It was definitely one of the loveliest, most serene days I've ever experienced.

Dress - h&m from last year (also here) | Shoes - dorothy perkins | Bag - modcloth

I had some brand new shoes

dress - le bomb shop

shoes - c/o blowfish

belt - old navy

bag - h&m

hair bow - forever 21

This is what I wore for Day 2 of my art show. I usually take my outfit photos using my webcam on my imac (super high tech, right?) but since I obviously didn't have that with me in New York, Kyle took my pictures instead. Somehow he always makes me feel like such a goof doing this, and I end up making the weirdest faces. I swear I don't even look human in some of them (the non-human ones were promptly deleted as soon as I saw them..)

Anyway, though! I was so excited about my outfit for Day 2 because I wore my brand new Gimmik shoes from Blowfish!! My feet were killing me after the first day when I wore my favorite Target flats, and even though my other Blowfish shoes are comfy, I really wasn't sure about wearing heels to walk around the city. But they were fantastic and SO comfortable! It was the first time I've worn heels out and about in a while (I usually end up making a last minute switch to flats every single time I attempt to wear high shoes out of the house) so it was odd feeling so tall! I'm only 5' so I'm used to seeing the world from a very short perspective. My dad & brother kept joking that they could finally see me with these on, they didn't have to stare down at the floor searching to find me ;-D

Oh, and I put together this little video to show my mom, since she missed the show this year, and I thought I'd post it here in case anyone is curious about what my shows are like! I did a time lapse for setting up my booth and going through the Lincoln tunnel, and of course there are the obligatory obnoxious-brother-punching-at-my-camera shots lol... I broke it up into two parts: the first is more subdued, to represent the first day of the show, which was really slow and unsuccessful, then the next two days which included winning the award and actually having some sales!

If I can make it there

dress - modcloth

flip flops - old navy

bag - h&m

hair bow - f21

As you can probably tell from that big blue ribbon on the painting I'm holding (there's a better photo of it if you scroll down) ... my art show this weekend went pretty darn well!! I've been doing this particular show -- the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit -- since 2007, and I never in a million years thought I'd ever win first place for one of my paintings!! They have exceptionally talented people participating who submit the most intricate, mind bogglingly amazing paintings to be juried... I honestly thought they must have made some kind of mistake when they chose mine!

These photos are from the third (and last) day of the show. I made the mistake of wearing sleeveless dresses with no sunscreen on days 1 and 2, and definitely paid the price. My back and shoulders hurt if a piece of hair lightly brushes against them :p So on day 3 I went with a strapless halter dress and got even more sunburn, just to avoid any fabric touching my already roasted skin! eek!

Except for the sunburn and extreme heat, I had a really nice weekend! My mom had to stay home because she didn't feel good, but my dad, my brother and I really enjoyed ourselves. And I actually did well enough money-wise to start buying my furniture and home necessities (like these utensils!) for my move to Canada!!

Tomorrow & Friday I'll post more pictures from Days 1 and 2! And here's my 1st place painting!! :)

posh-ish frock friday

dress - le bomb shop

bag - modcloth

tights - we love colors

belt - vintage

shoes - target

I wore this yesterday to New York -- On Wednesday night my brother found out that he won tickets to see his favorite singer, Tim McGraw, on the Jimmy Fallon show. He's 16 so he entered the contest using my name, which means I had to tag along to collect the prize. I had a pretty terrible day all in all. I wore my favorite black flats so I'd be comfortable walking around the city, but it was raining so hard that my shoes turned into portable puddles -- they were literally filled with water, making my shoes and tights so soggy it was nauseating. Then once we got in the NBC building, my soles were so slippery that my feet slid out from under me, and I crashed on my knee. *ouch!* I ended up buying replacement shoes & tights at H&M and tossed mine in the trash. I also bought an umbrella, and, as these things tend to go, it didn't rain after that for the rest of the night.

The show itself wasn't my cup of tea. I'm not kidding when I say that I'm terrible at being an audience member. I'm just a socially awkward mess at things like this.. I don't like clapping in unison, or doing anything else in unison for that matter. But Kyle got to see Tim McGraw up close (he was like "omg we were breathing the same air!!!!" He's a big fan.) so I guess that makes up for everything else. Now I just need to find myself a new pair of red tights!

If you participated in posh frock friday this week, you can leave your link below! Don't forget you can also grab a PFF button for your blog, to link back here :)

jean genie

coat - h&m

jeans - old navy

scarf - urban outfitters

bag - urban outfitters

shoes - the back of my closet

I hardly EVER wear pants, but after too many windy days spent in NYC trying to hold down my skirt to keep it from blowing up around my face (and embarrassingly failing at this task numerous times) I decided to go with some trusty jeans this time. Not nearly as pretty, but much better than flashing all of New York City, yes?

Me and my mom spent the day in the city since I had to attend a meeting, and it was so nice! I really love spending time with her and don't get the opportunity very often, since she works full time and is too tuckered to do much besides watch tv when she finally gets home! After the meeting we spent some time (cough.. hours) in H&M then had drinks (lemonade & coke kind of drinks) in the cellar restaurant at Macy's before coming home and meeting my dad and brother for dinner at Olive Garden. We really don't get out much as a family so when we do it's a HUGE treat, and incredibly fun! Somehow I blurted out that I owed my mom a "gret of daditude" (instead of debt of gratitude) and it struck our funny-bones so much that my mom was crying, and I was having trouble breathing I was laughing so hard. All in all -- an absolutely perfect day! :)

impromptu trip to new york

I'm petrified of elevators, especially ones that go up 80+ floors, so I gave my brother my camera and asked him to snap some photos for me when he got up to the top of the Empire State Building. Isn't the view breathtaking?!


Close up of the purple M&Ms in the huge candy department in the NBC store. My mom's favorite candy :)


The Empire State Building at night. There was a really bizarre sky that night... it seemed as if there were black clouds floating above.


I take one of these every time I go into the city, don't I? Oh well, it's one of my favorite places to go, I think it's so lovely!


Friends section of the NBC store. Love this shirt! My brother wants the "How You Doin?" shirt, and I also saw one with the infamous "pivot" sequence. If I was a t-shirt kinda gal, these would have been coming home with me ;-)


My view from our seat at Olive Garden in Times Square. It was so much fun to look out the window while we were eating!


Scrumptious chocolate mousse for dessert! I don't care if it's not real Italian food, a commercialized chain, blah blah blah... in a family where even Chinese takeout is a rare treat, eating at Olive Garden is a huge privilege and a delicious one at that!

a perfect day

I recently won a giveaway on Classic Forever for two tickets to see The 39 Steps in New York City. The 39 Steps is my parents' all time favorite movie ever, and they'd been dying to see the show so they were overjoyed when I won the contest!! We went into the city yesterday and made a day of it while we were there.

It all started off terribly. We left the house two hours later then we had planned, and when we finally caught our train it seemed to be moving at 2 mph. It was the slowest train I've ever been on, ever. But once we made it to New York everything improved and we ended up having an absolutely lovely day!

While my parents were in the show, me and my brother went to Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Lego store and the New York Public Library (which, by the way, is the most awe-inspiring building I think I've ever set foot in!) Along the way I snapped pictures of Radio City Music Hall and St. Patricks Cathedral, too. My mom & dad had a ball at the show, and they're both writing guest posts about the experience for my classic film blog, Silents & Talkies.

A day in New York wouldn't be complete without a little shopping, you know. So we stopped at H&M where I picked up the most perfectly-fitting dress I've ever slipped on (pictures soon) and a faux leopard winter coat that looks straight out of the 1960's. I died when I tried it on, it's so marvelous. And my mom bought me some early birthday presents -- white tights with black hearts (adorable!), striped leggings, an Oriental style black shirt, some headbands and a belt. And while on the subject of spending money, I got the most scrumptious frozen hot chocolate drink at a cafe off of 5th avenue. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted. I'm recipe hunting online today so I can attempt to make one at home...

We planned to finish the day at the Olive Garden near our home, but because every single solitary taxi cab was occupied last night (or at least it seemed that way) we didn't end up catching a train back home until 8:30pm, which meant we didn't pull into our station until almost quarter to 10! My mom called the Olive Garden from the train and told the manager how desperately we were looking forward to eating there, and asked if they'd still serve us if we arrived close to closing time. We ended up getting there - no kidding - at 9:56pm, four minutes before closing. And they still served us! Our waitress was the sweetest person ever, the food was out of this world and I got a delicious vanilla Italian soda. It was the perfect end to a perfect day! :)