~ pomp and circumstance ~

This past week has consisted of two photoshoots, my sister's college graduation, dinner with family, and a day at the french pastry shop - it has been glorious!

01. Friday

{my beautiful sister}
{Jessica Simpson makes some fine shoes!}

02. Saturday

{decorating some gingerbread cookies at my favorite local bakery: Au Péché Mignon}

{a little rain didn't stop me from wearing my favorite ballet flats to dinner with the family}

03. Sunday

{I took my friend Kristy's family photos, and she snapped this one of me!}

{stopped on the side of the road to photograph this breathtaking sunset}

I hope next week will be as awesome as this week, and the sky continues to be this beautiful.  

xoxo,

Eliza

~ skating on thin ice ~

Since my last exam is tomorrow morning, I've done nothing but study, stress eat and stay in my pajamas all day (oops).  So I'm going to show you lovely people an outfit from a couple of days ago!  (one that's drastically different from what I'm wearing now)

{gap top, target skirt}

As a Florida girl, there's no reason I would ever need a vintage skating dress, but I certainly want one.  This is as close as I could get for now!

Perhaps one day I'll live somewhere with snow and have a closet full of skating outfits....

xoxo,
Eliza

~ the final frontier ~

Now that the weather has taken a turn towards cooler temperatures and studying has taken over my life, I'm suddenly inspired to wear all of my favorite skirts. Twirling through the aisles at the grocery store makes up for freezing my buns off!

I'll be enormously happy when finals are over and the haze of sleep deprivation has left me!  But until then, here are some small things I've been doing to help combat the studying blues...try them out!

01.  enjoying some vegan egg nog


02.  taking a five minute music break every half hour or so.  I've been alternating between Frank Sinatra and Haim


03.  taking time to stretch out and practice my yoga breathing


04.  remembering that I have frozen cookie dough, eating half of it and then baking the rest


05.  making friends with the floor - 5 minutes naps are currently keeping me sane


06. And finally, taking advice from Mr. Gosling:

So study hard, try your best, and hope the academic gods are smiling upon you!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ all stars ~

This morning I broke out my new chucks for a meeting on campus, doctor appointment, and miscellaneous errand-running.  They're perfect!  So many different ways you can wear them - with modern, AND vintage clothing.

Today I opted to wear my uniform - jeans, a black/white striped top, and my favorite Old Navy camel colored cardigan.  

Next I'm gonna try these combinations:

{photo from pinterest}

{photo from pinterest}

But I really can't wait to wear them with a vintage skirt, and sweater!

And for summer, I can see them paired with a patterned dresses and some fabulous shades:

There are so many options - perfect for someone like me, whose style seems to change daily!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ biker babe barbie ~

Last night I went to a concert and found that, as usual, I was the most dressed up person there.  It's kinda fun, actually.  You get used to the weird looks, and eventually learn to embrace feeling like you should be at the MET instead of a college campus!  Because why not dress up?  Dammit, life is short!  So in the wise words of my favorite vintage-wearing fairy godmother, Jenny (of Redheaded Sadie) WEAR THE DRESS!

The dress, in this case, was a GAP pencil skirt, Ann Taylor top (thanks to the big sister!), my favorite black mary janes, and leather jacket.  I was going for a biker Barbie look, so I added some crazy costume jewelry and pink lipstick.

I think I might use Barbie as a style inspiration more often!

xoxo,

Eliza 

~ little things ~

I can't believe it's December already!  How crazy is that?!

{Earl Oliver Hurst illustration}

Time to unpack the sweaters, light the bonfire, open the last of the Chanukah presents, put some Billie Holiday on the record player, and study my ass off for finals.  Spoiler alert: I'm really not excited about that last part.

Yesterday included picnics with friends and a bonfire, but no studying.  Which is why I spent all of today slaving away at my laptop!  

{it was such a beautiful day for a picnic with friends}

The bonfire had all the workings of a fantastic night!  Singing, marshmallow toasting, lots of laughing, and story telling with good friends!

I used last night's winter festivities as an excuse to wear my favorite Modcloth tights!



And how great is this Andy Warhol kitty?  I love it!

The menorahs from a couple of nights ago...

Happy December (and Happy Chanukah!) to all you lovely people!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ paris shoes ~

My love of Paris and my love of shoes both began on the same day.  It was August of 2007, and we were staying in the most amazing apartment, right in the heart of Paris...

Down the street from the apartment was a little shoe shop that was, unfortunately, closing.  They were selling all their shoes for ridiculously low prices (I'm talking like 8 US dollars).  I bought a pair of red and silver mary janes that, to this day, have been my favorite purchase EVER.  They were the last pair, AND my size.  Score!

6 years ago, and roughly 4500 miles away.  Those shoes have come a long way.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ green with envy ~

I've always loved green, yet I hardly have any of it in my closet.  Until now.

{vintage skirt, banana republic shirt} 

Yesterday it was pretty warm, so I wore a new (old) favorite!  I found this skirt in my grandmother's cedar chest when I inherited it.  It fits very nicely, which is surprising since my grandmother was teeny tiny!  Wearing something that she wore and loved is very special.



The skirt is 100% wool and has a matching jacket.  It definitely won't be the last time I wear it!

xoxo,
Eliza

~ weekend adventure ~

Today I went on a little trip to the country.  Where I live, the city landscape morphs into a country landscape during the span of a fifteen minute drive.  The canopy above the road gets thicker, horse pastures appear, white picket fences are all around.  And in the middle of this landscape is the most adorable shop that I can't believe I just now discovered!  Meet the Sweet South Cottage:

 

{inside the studio}
I met Lisa and Lizzy, who were so kind!  They showed us around the shop, talked about past events held there, plans for the future, and took us to the studio.  It was amazing!  An artist's paradise.  

The cottage sells Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, which will make you want to paint everything in your house that isn't nailed down.  Seriously.  Within the first ten minutes of being in the shop, I made plans to paint my desk, bedside table, book shelves, etc., etc.  Not to mention ripping up the carpet in my bedroom, and stenciling the floor.

{major floor inspiration, right there}

{after touring the shop we went outside and visited with the chickens}

So if you're looking for a fantastic day trip around the Tallahassee and Monticello area, or need some home decor inspiration, visit the girls at Sweet South Cottage!

Here's their website for more information: http://sweetsouthcottage.com/

Such a fun Saturday!

xoxo,

Eliza