~ teal ~

I confess that I'm not an expert in color.  I skipped Color Theory class at school, black and black is my go-to color combo, my room was Rose Pink .01 for 12 years because I couldn't decide what color to paint it, and when I finally did paint it, I settled on white so that I wouldn't have to buy matching bed linens.  Despite this lack of color literacy , I find myself strongly drawn to different colors during different stages of my life.  Pink, light gray, orange, navy blue, and now, teal.  For those of you more proficient than I am in the language of colors, feel free to let me know what that means.

This heavy presence of color in my life, coupled with a new-founded obsession with Wes Anderson, has lead to the birth of a new project: The Interior Portrait Series.  A monochromatic study on the link between color and emotion.

In such a chaotic and transformative period of my life, I'm excited to begin a new project.  And who knows?  Maybe it will be just as good for me as any color theory class would have been.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ my favorite things ~

One of my earliest memories is of my grandmother at the mirror, putting on her lipstick.  The first makeup I ever bought on my own was a tube of sparkly hot pink Covergirl lip gloss (it was 2005, don't judge me).  The thing that takes up the most space in my purse, makeup bag, and bathroom cabinet is, undoubtedly, lipstick.

I have a color for every decade from the 1920s to the 70s, and it's the one thing that I wear even if I'm at the beach, sick, wearing sweatpants, or having a day at home.

(one time I wore it to the gym, but I quickly discovered that red lipstick and sweat don't mix very well)

L. Revlon, matte, 012 Sky Pink.  R. Revlon, creme, 616 Wink for Pink.

L. Revlon, matte, 011 Stormy Pink.  R. Revlon, pearl, 657 Fuchsia Fusion.

L. Revlon, creme, 440 Cherries in the Snow.  R. Revlon, creme, 720 Fire and Ice.

L. Rimmel London, 109 Rossetto.  R. Revlon, matte balm, 240 Striking.

L. Revlon, creme, 750 Kiss Me Coral. R. Revlon, lip butter, 035 Candy Apple.

L. Revlon, matte balm, 250 Standout.  R. Maybelline, 075 Let me Pink.

Lipstick can instantly dress up an outfit, add some color to a rainy day, and can turn a quick trip to Target into an agonizing decision between two reds that anyone besides an expert would say are the same.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ baby blues ~

During different periods of my life, different colors have dominated everything from my underwear to pillowcases.  For most of my childhood, everything in my life was pink: my room, my sheets, my eye shadow (glad that phase didn't last long), and the majority of my clothes.  But like all things, the Pink Period came to a close and I have now entered what I have lovingly titled The Blue Period - though unlike Monet's, mine is not due to failing eyesight, but rather the need for a clean slate (and an absolute lack of pink).

Thanks to nature, nail polish, and sweater vests, I don't have to look far to satisfy my need for blues and whites.

St. Marks, Florida

By next week, I might be obsessed with hunter green - but for now I'll just enjoy each day I find myself reaching for my blue water bottle instead of my green one and thank my lucky stars that I no longer own any Hello Kitty pink eye shadow.  Happy Wednesday!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ one hundred colors ~

I'll be honest.  I've never liked fall.  Like REALLY never liked fall.

When I was younger I legitimately thought fall was killing me because of the dry, cold-induced headaches (and because I felt like someone had stuck a candle up both of my nostrils).  But of course that was probably due to a lack of water and lack of education on allergy remedies.  Now that I know the benefits of Claritin and carry a water bottle with me every waking moment, fall is slightly less miserable.  Slightly.

Cold weather, then hot weather, then arctic weather.  Complete darkness by 5:30.  Wanting to exercise but being too cold to exercise.  The misery that is layering.

The only thing that fall has going for it are the colors.  Look at any pile of leaves and you'll see a beautiful medley of warm colors that look like they have been spawned directly from the belly of hell.  (but in a good way).

Oh fall...you make me itchy and miserable, but you are pretty.  I'll give you that.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ small adventures ~

This week, in between studying for exams, losing my student ID (boohoo), and watching Gilmore Girls episodes back to back, I went on a series of mini adventures around town and took advantage of the rare quiet moments (many of which involved cupcakes and breaking into the Halloween candy).

Yesterday after getting out of class early I explored the latest exhibit at the TCC art gallery: The Figure as Vehicle.  It's a beautiful combination of watercolors and pieces of sculpture by Marsha De Broske and John Carollo

Then on the way home from classes I stopped by Lucy and Leo's for a vegan cupcake.

(oreo cupcakes are the bomb)

I obviously didn't have the patience to take a picture since I ate it the minute I got back in the car.

Today also involved art and enormous amounts of good food.  First stop: Voodoo Dog with my mama for veggie dogs, veggie burgers, and the best fries in town.  Then Bread and Roses for some shopping, and a stop at Utrecht (or Blick, or whatever it's being called these days) for canvases, oddball paint colors, and some charcoal.

 

Now I just have to get through my exams tomorrow and then the fun will begin!  Photoshoots, the New Leaf farm tour, an oceanography field trip, the Greek food festival, a play, and modeling on Sunday.  

xoxo,

Eliza

~ black and white ~

Lately my wardrobe has been devoid of color.  Blame the grey weather, blame the busy mornings that cut into my dressing time, blame the lack of outfit inspiration, etc., etc...

But there's something very simple about black and white that appeals to me - perhaps it's because you can get dressed with your eyes closed and still look put together, or maybe it's the vaguely french vibe that one gives off when sticking to a limited color palate.

(or maybe because it makes my life goal of being a swanky french spy in a 1960s movie even more achievable)

{details of yesterday's outfit)

Whatever the reason, I'm perfectly okay with it.

{today's outfit: gap t-shirt, jeans, and ballet flats, target blazer}

The one exception to my new monochromatic phase is lipstick - yesterday it was bright red, today it was bright pink!

By adding a little color, maybe this weather will take a hint.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ dress code ~

I've always tried to plan out my outfits in my head before I fall asleep.  That way, when I wake up grumpy and exhausted, I don't have to stand half naked in front of my closet asking myself "what am I going to wear?"

But as you're setting your alarm for 6 am, sometimes abiding by your personal dress code is more realistic than wasting precious moments figuring out an outfit when you could've spent that time sleeping.

As was the case yesterday.

{vintage skirt from my grandmother, gap shirt, gap shoes, target bag}

{day two of the 360 braid - all I had to do was stick a few bobby pins in when I woke up and I was good to go!}

Circle skirt + t-shirt + belt + flats = an outfit simple enough to come up with at 6:04 am, comfy enough to last until 5pm, and cute enough to earn you several compliments (thank you, kind strangers)!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ summer brights ~

Instead of my usual black/white striped t-shirt, jeans, and tan flats, I've decided to make an effort to bring some color into my wardrobe and into my life.

{gap dress, target shoes}

{taking my mom's new glasses for a (very quick) spin}

{some logo designing}

{trying out a new lipstick color}

{new Modcloth shoes and new business cards}

I hope everyone's been having a colorful week!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ finals week ~

In the midst of finals week, I vowed to find happiness in small moments.  The past two days have cooperated and given me lots of little things to be happy about!

• My morning was sunny and bright

•  I finished my final project for photography class - a book of 20 photographs with a common theme.  More on that later!

• Starbucks and I color coordinated

• I got a haircut.  Warmer weather calls for shorter hair!

• My favorite color became obvious

• I found some old photos.  Sometimes I miss the simple days...

• And I also found some very good advice.

One more final to go and I am DONE.  Summer will be here before we know it!  Have a wonderful rest of the week.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ weekend happenings ~

This weekend the Florida weather lived up to the whole "April showers" thing.  It drizzled ALL DAY on Saturday, but we grabbed the umbrellas and forged ahead with our plans anyway!

Saturday afternoon we went to the wildlife festival at Wakulla Springs to view the exhibits, listen to good music, and tour the beautiful lodge.

{Gap jeans, Gap shoes, target coat, target bag, RL shirt via Goodwill, vintage silk flower}

My hair inspiration:

After going to the festival, we stopped by a thrift store and I found two AMAZING vintage coats.

{1950s coat heaven}

On Sunday, we went to an art festival downtown.  It wasn't raining but it was pretty cloudy and gloomy.  We still had a great time!

I finished the day with matzo pizza and studying for my Anthropology final.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  And for those of us with finals this week and next, just remember that summer is right around the corner.  We can do it!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ baby shower ~

Today was a baby shower for a very special little girl, and her wonderful parents!  Yesterday was pretty cold, but today the weather cooperated with warm temps and GORGEOUS blue skies.

Good food, good friends and family, and a perfect day celebrating baby E.!

{vintage dress, vintage sweater, H&M shoes}

I am so happy for this new family and can't wait to watch this sweet girl grow up in such a wonderful world!!

xoxo,

Eliza