Living Life

I found this quote on my pinterest feed and it made the adventurer in me smile. As most of you know, two months ago, my boyfriend and I packed up our bags and moved back to our Southern roots in Lexington, Kentucky. When we first got here, I kept thinking all of our stuff was still in Indianapolis, that it was only a temporary stay, but with each passing day it feels more like old times being in my hometown.
That is a great feeling to me. I feel like this city is where I should be right now. So with the city down, I feel I can focus on everything else.

The first thing was job. After leaving Anthropologie, I knew it would be hard to find another place in the retail world I loved as much, so I began job hunting in a different field. What I found is working at new luxury apartments as a leasing agent. I'm not sure what it will turn into quite yet: a career in property management, or just another stepping stone in my life. But for now I'm enjoying going to work everyday.

What I'm still working on is trying to find a place for myself, my boyfriend, and our puppy, to call home. We're still crashing at my parents' house and while it's all still smooth sailing here we're just ready to be in our own place. You just feel better with all your stuff around you, you know? I also feel this pull to start up my photography again. It's something I love and something I love doing; I just need to get more confidence in what I'm doing and see where my talents can take me.

So this is where I look to my quote and pull confidence from it. I don't need to be scared or fearful of the future. I know somehow I stumble into the right thing if I just keep looking forward and being curious about it. What do you guys think? What are you curious about?

Friday Flick Picks

There was a big change from last week in the amount of movies I saw this week. With my boyfriend out of town taking the bar exam (I'm so proud of him!) for a couple of days, I hung out with some Netflix movies. All but Beginners were movies I had seen before, but re-watching an old movie is like comfort food to me. It feels like an old friend is keeping me company. It was hard not to pick an ol' favorite for my pick this week, but I'm going with Beginners. It wasn't as amazing as I wanted it to be, but there were some really beautiful parts. It also made me really want to get home to my sweet puppy! Melanie Laurent is quickly becoming a favorite actress of mine and she was wonderful in this movie. Give it a try if it's in your area. Corn Fest and Harry Potter are in my weekend future; hope you guys have a great one too!

7 Happy Things

links: movie, photo booth props, shoes, blazers, kendi's blog, longenecker story short blog, (these two blogs are super cute and full of outfitting inspiration. check them out!)

I just noticed: things starting with the letter "b" must be making me happiest this week!

link

One Woman Show

blazer: anthropologie, dress: derek heart, sandals: impo

It was a little tricky to do an outfitting post without the help of my photographer...but I enjoyed my dress/blazer combo so much today that I had to share in spite of being shorthanded. In a pinch, I think this angle worked out pretty well.

Shoe Love

There comes a time in every girl's life when their mind becomes obsessed with shoes. You're having a Carrie Bradshaw moment and you think, "how can I go on living without this one pair of shoes?" Okay two. All right fine, three! I am suffering from one of these moments. I think maybe it's because everyone is starting to tempt me with new things for Fall, and I have a weak wallet towards boots and oxfords. Here are a few that are pushing me towards my limit. Dare I cave???

links: urban outfitters, anthropologie, nordstroms

DIY Weekend

With my boyfriend hard at work studying for the bar, and us apartment hunting when we can, where is the time to watch a movie in the evening?

So instead I want to share a diy project I plan to tackle over the weekend. I have a dresser that is in major need of a face lift. So I have rolled up my sleeves and started to sand it down. It has a new color of paint coming it's way. The trouble is: what color???

TURQUOISE???

 betterafter.blogspot.com

addicted2decorating

OR

YELLOW???

 design sponge

madame-senorita.tumblr

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?



Have a great weekend!

7 Happy Things

links: Ruche's lookbook, boots, anchor mug, chalk board, Hallmark ornament premier

Inspiration Board: Corn Fest

As a faithful reader to blogs like Snippet and Ink, Green Wedding Shoes, and Amy Atlas, I feel like I could tackle any type of party with the amazing inspiration and photos they share. Next week I’ll finally be able to put all the great ideas I’ve seen to good use. At the end of this month my parents are throwing a party called “Corn Fest.” I know, not your typical theme for a party, but nothing says summer to my parents like corn on the cob. They love it so much that my dad built a corn roaster a few years ago out of an old barrel so he could roast a large amount of corn! You know the kind you see at festivals and food fairs?  So to celebrate summer, friends, and (of course) corn, they are inviting all their friends over for a cookout. They’ve asked me to be in charge of creating a photo booth for the Fest as well as some decorations. You can see how geeked out I’m getting by my inspiration board. Wish me luck on the planning!

top row: flowers: saraspartyperfect, chalk board: stylemepretty, corn hole: beavercreeksda
middle row: corn on a stick: hostessblog, root beer: thepleatedpoppy, plate of corn: melskitchencafe
bottom row: photo booth props: karaspartyideas, table: style-files

Stripes & Sunshine

This skirt is probably one of my favorites. Made by Paper Boy, it's extremely comfy and fits really well. It doesn't hurt that it's in my favorite color for clothing-yellow. And to me, I think nothing pairs more perfectly with yellow than stripes! Give me a nautical colored, boat neck, striped shirt any day of the week, and I will happily mix it with denim, skirts, cardigans, and jackets. But my stripes and yellow were too plain to be left on their own so I added a colorful floral scarf to help pull it all together.

top: forever21, skirt & scarf: anthropologie, sandals: steve madden

PS my second look with Sally Hanson's nail stickers. I highly recommend these!

Friday Flick Picks

I have to laugh at myself some weeks when I see the review of movies I've watched within a week. "She really will watch anything won't she?," is probably what most of you think when you see Flick Picks on Friday. Oh well; I'm a unique snowflake with an eclectic taste in movies I guess.

No Strings Attached, while starring my favorite actress Natalie Portman, is a movie I cannot get behind. I had a lazy Sunday to fill so I didn't mind the two hours that I spent to watch this movie, even though it gave me nothing in return. Mindy Kaling's character was good for a few laughs but besides that I wouldn't recommend it. Fantasia, on the other hand, I would. That is, if you don't mind a two hour Disney movie about music. Sorcerer Mickey, the Nutcracker Suite, and mythological characters take center stage while the Philadelphia Orchestra take you through the feelings and stories music can evoke in a listener. It was great to see this movie again after all these years. The part with the unicorns, pegasuses, and female centaurs is still my favorite!

7 Happy Things

links: shoes, Harry Potter print, Fantasia image

Day at the Park

I'm at King's Island amusement park in Cincinnati Ohio today. Hands up to a day of fun, friends, and screams on fast roller coasters!!

Floral Brights

sweater anthro, shorts jcrew, shoes seychelles, purse tj maxx

One of my weekend outfits called for a pop of color, a little bit of warmth, a place to put all of my stuff, and a fun pair of shoes. This combination from my closet seemed to do the trick!

Friday Flick Picks

Only time for one movie this week: Some Like it Hot, starring the beautiful Marilyn Monroe. It was just a great little movie. I would never really classify myself as a Marilyn fan (I'm an Audrey girl) but there's no question she plays the sex-pot character very well and her dumb blond comedy routine is super cute and endearing. It's your classic comedy of men in drag, mistaken identifies, and the wrong people falling in love. But it also has this gangster plot line that subtly moves the story line along as well. A fun comedic romp; I recommend checking it out.

"Christian had a thing for Tony Curtis so he brought over Some Like it Hot and Sporadicus" -Cher, from Clueless

7 Happy Things

 

Links (clockwise): Matchbook Magainze, self portrait story of black macaque, loving this twitter feed, water bottles at Target, The Glee Project show on Oxygen, Anthropologie dress.

Romper Love

I must have rompers on the brain because I've found another one I'm dying over! It must be one of those want-what-you-can't-have things because I adore the idea of rompers but don't think they look good on me. I think it's because the shorts part is always too short for my taste. Sigh. A girl can still dream!

romper via modcloth

Picture an Outfit: Weeds Style

So while my boyfriend spends countless hours studying for the bar, I have taken to re-watching old episodes of Weeds on Netflix. I have a huge girl crush on Mary Louise Parker and Justin Kirk's character, Andy, cracks me up. The constant "how is she going to get out of this mess" story line always keeps me interested. Old characters, and problems she thought she had once solved, always find a way back into her life. Another aspect I love is how Mary Louise's character, Nancy Botwin, is dressed. A good mix of SoCal style, with a splash of western and hippie thrown in. The above still is from episode 5. This perfectly sums up her carefree dressing. Lace up moccasin boots and black knee socks paired with (what looks to me like) a floral romper. Perfect for running errands around town, shopping, or out selling dime bags to your suburban neighbors.

images (l to r): romper, romper, boots

Happy 4th of July!



via gifaficionada

 

via livinglocurlo

unknown source

via grinandbakeit

via martha stewart

unknown source

I hope your 4th is filled with fun, family, friends, and fireworks! xo Sarah

The Tree of Life

Being out of town last week prevented me from seeing any movies Monday through Friday but, as promised, I did see The Tree of Life on Saturday and wanted to share my thoughts. My boyfriend has anticipated this movie's release two years prior to its coming out this summer. His constant excitement and updates on how the movie had been received at festivals, and how the movie was made had gotten me very excited for the movie too. He even Netflix-ed other Terrence Malick movies for me to watch so I'd be more familiar with his movie style before we saw The Tree of Life. I have to say out of the two movies we watched, The Thin Red Line and Badlands, I was perplexed at Malick's movie style. I hated The Thin Red Line, how it rambled, and how all over the place it was; and I liked Badlands for it's simplicity and storytelling. I thought with one of my favorite actors, Brad Pitt, in The Tree of Life, that somehow this movie would come out enjoyable in the end.

But being a week out from seeing The Tree of Life, I'm still not sure what to make of it. It was like a scientific nature movie, a boyhood journal, and a dream about your past, all rolled into one. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I loved the look and feel of the movie:  the parts set in the hot summer nights of Texas, the way you could really imagine yourself as a child in those situations or how your parents raised you. But I hated that I really couldn't grasp what the movie was about and that it jumped all over the place, leaving so many questions unanswered.

The Tree of Life is definitely interesting, and a beautiful thing to watch, but I can't say it's for everyone.