~ L.o.v.e ~

01.  Art Shay's beautiful, full of life photographs of his wife of 67 years.  Read about his exhibit, My Florence, at the library at Columbia College here

02.  lovely vintage valentines

03. the perfect valentine's day dress (via Dear Golden on etsy)

04.  love themed Tattly temporary tattoos

05. perfectly pink hair

06. last night's beautiful pink sunset through the fog

07. a villain's valentine

08. and a reminder for anyone who totally forgot tomorrow was valentine's day and needs gift ideas...

xoxo,

Eliza

~ let's hear it for the boys ~

Let me just get it out in the open right away: I'm not a relationship person.
*And another thing: There's going to be a gallon and a half of sarcasm in this post.  Possibly a bit more.

Okay, so I'm not saying I've completely given up on the prospect of having a loving (non-feline) relationship sometime in my future, but I'm retiring from the ever-tiring search for "the one," a search that I've only halfheartedly participated in, and a notion that I only halfheartedly believe in.
When I was younger, I always said that I wouldn't date until I was 20.  It was mostly a stubbornness thing, but Young Me did have a good point (that being that I am an extremely picky person with incredibly high standards).  I could tell you the whole damn thing, but the short version of this tragic story ends with me breaking my personal vow at the wee age of 17.  But no matter.  If at first you don't succeed, try try again.

I'm not too sure why I've decided to renew Young Me's vow.  Maybe this is just the next step of settling into my crazy cat lady status, or maybe it's because Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but whatever the reason, I couldn't be happier.  Which brings me to the main point of this post - February the 14th is going to be a whole lot of awesome this year.  Here's why...

• I'm going to be livin' it up in Savannah on Valentine's Day, instead of my usual routine (*you know...eating chocolate, watching chick flicks, and crying softly into my pillow*)
• I'm on a new diet that allows me to eat as much chocolate as I want as long as I think about doing squats once during the day
• I'm back to wearing fiery red lipstick everyday

• New Girl and The Mindy Project exist (just in case I get a little sappy and need a good laugh to snap me out of it)
• I have my priorities sorted out

• I am 100% free of crushes....unless we're talking about fictional character, olympic athletes, or handsome british men, in which case my crush bank is overflowing 

• I've now read like 99% of Shakespeare's great love stories and I'm under the opinion that love is nothing to get all worked up over (or drown yourself over, for that matter...looking at you, Ophelia)

• this photo exists (via the Kitsch Bitsch on facebook)

There you have it, folks.  Of course there are many more reasons why this Valentine's Day is gonna rock, but that's all for now.  So, however you choose to celebrate this day of love, don't let it be the only day you show the ones you love just how much you love them.  Remember to dish out love every single day!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little things ~

01. stripes, leather, fur, and red lipstick.

02. picking out an outfit for tomorrow's new year's eve celebrations

03. interesting sights on my walk around the neighborhood

04. hanging up a world map in my room to remind me of how much I have yet to explore 

05. beautiful words from Carson McCuller's The Member of the Wedding

06. a joyous NYE photo from the 1940s

07. if I had to sum up 2013 in one word, it would be exploration.  How I started the year is very different from how I'm ending it.  People departed from my life, people came into my life - some staying longer than others.  I learned lots of valuable lessons, lost battles, found out that someone wasn't who I thought they were, broke down, and then picked myself back up.  I explored my creative side and found out that it's the side I'm most comfortable with. 

 I'm different person.  But change is good.  Here's to another year of lessons, triumphs, new relationships, strong friendships, new opportunities, and an abundant supply of hope.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little things ~

01. catching up with Calla, my sweet friend/second sister, who's in town from Hawaii!!  I am so excited that she's here for the holidays, and can't wait to meet her beautiful baby in a few months.

I can't even explain how happy I am to have her be in town!  Growing up with not one, but two sisters was so wonderful.  The biggest heart, a beautiful spirit, a brilliant mind, and the greatest laugh.

02. staying in PJs all day.

{love these JCrew ones}

03. staying up too late reading Carson McCullers bookes

04. making vegan mexican food with my mama

05. some good advice

06. Mrs Meyer's lavender soap.  Whenever I use it, I think of Philadelphia.  I'm not 100% sure, but I think my cousins had it in their apartment in Philly!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ war paint ~

Here's a topic that I feel needs to be addressed: mistakes.  They suck, don't they?  There's no denying that.  Whether it's small (drinking coffee at 8 PM and not sleeping that night) or big (telling someone how you feel before they're ready to hear it) or ginormous and life-altering, a mistake can certainly take a smile off your face very quickly.  But here's the thing: most (except for the really big ones) are only a passing situation.  That perm will eventually come out, you can always repaint the bedroom (princess pink might not have been the best idea), you can return the shoes that you thought were your size, send back the dinner that you thought was dairy-free but wasn't.  Even the majority of the bigger ones can be forgiven, corrected, forgotten or found funny 5 years later.  So why do we beat ourselves up about having a temporary lapse of judgement or not thinking things through?  Maybe it's because we set standards for ourselves, sometimes even harsher than the standards we set for the people we surround ourselves with.  When something doesn't go as planned, we hold ourselves responsible and call it a mistake: something to pick apart, analyze and dwell over.  Well here's the thing - people think that if you are constantly aware of your mistakes, you won't make another.  But sometimes you are so busy thinking of the past (where all your mistakes live) that you miss an opportunity to avoid a mistake in the present.  Even set yourself up for a mistake in the future.  So try this next time (and there will be a next time, I assure you): forgive yourself.  It might sound cliche and impossible, but it takes less energy than beating yourself up.  Understand that you're only human and treat each mistake as an opportunity to build yourself up, instead of tearing yourself down.

Put on your war paint, hold your head high and MOVE ON.  It's not healthy to get so stuck on past mistakes that you forget to truly live.  So here I am.  Admitting that I've made mistakes in my seventeen years (some big, some small), putting on my brave face, and carrying onward.  

~ side note: my war paint happens to be eyeliner, which is surprisingly hard to draw on in a straight line ~

 So, do we have a deal?  Forgive yourself.  Let go.  Move on.  Don't let the past keep you from experiencing the present and looking forward to the future 

A negative mind will never give you a positive life