~ treat yourself ~

Whether you prefer the classical "treat yourself" or the neoclassical "treat yo self," treating yourself to a day at the beach, a new outfit, the absence of a morning alarm, or a glass of wine (for the over-21 and/or european crowd) is never a bad idea.

Since this past semester was particularly grueling (to the point where I found myself falling asleep on stacks of notes and accidentally putting the olive oil in the fridge and the carton of eggs in the pantry) and next semester is going to be just as grueling, if not more, my new year's resolution is to treat myself whenever I can - effective immediately.  So to get things off on the right path, if you care to follow me and make this your new year's resolution as well, here are some quick and easy (and cheap) ways to make your life a little better, even if only for an hour or two.

• sleep until 11.

• watch a good movie.  In the past few days I've seen Big Eyes and Into The Woods in the theater, and The Women, The Thin Man, and Paris When it Sizzles while curled up on the couch.  If you haven't seen The Women, then do yourself a favor - watch it all the way through, bask in its glory for ten minutes or so, then watch it again just to pay attention to the AMAZING costumes and complete lack of men.

• wear pajamas around the house, just for kicks.  I guess it's a sign that you're becoming a fully functioning adult when your first instinct in the morning is to get dressed.  If that's the case, then there's more proof that I am nowhere near being a fully functioning adult.

• buy yourself shoes that Lauren Bacall would have worn.

• wear your super comfy pajamas and Lauren Bacall shoes at the same time, just because you can.

• give yourself a pedicure in light pink (to match the piping on your pajamas).

• make yourself three pieces of french toast and eat them all while wearing your silk pajamas, your new shoes, and while watching an old movie.

If you have followed all of these steps, then you're sure to be feeling a level of fantastic-ness that Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle would be proud of.  If not, then rinse and repeat until you get your desired results.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ little things ~

01.  after postponing my trip to Savannah, I spent the whole weekend eating chocolate, watching the olympics, and taking lots of naps

02. my favorite tumblr valentines

03. last night's bonfire (good friends, awesome food, great music)

04.  a sign of spring

05.  my new snow boots (the countdown to NYC has begun!)

06. spending an afternoon exploring and doing some yoga at St. Marks

07. and finally, some wisdom from Othello

xoxo,

Eliza

~ merry and bright ~

So far this weekend, I've been to two holiday parties.  One last night (food, drinks, dessert, and all my neighbors) and one this afternoon (cookie baking/decorating, hot tea, and a bunch of my friends).

01. {last night, post-party)

02.

03. {with my beautiful sister}

04. {party outfit #2: F21 top, gap skirt, gap shoes}

05. 

06. (1955 Wamsutta ad}

And remember!  You don't have to have a crowd to have a party - small dance parties are the best, anyway!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ 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

~ 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 

~ 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