~ blue skies ~

Spring has finally hit Florida and I couldn't be happier!

I've buried all of my sweaters deep in the closet.  Dresses and skirts and shorts have come out of storage.  The flowers are blooming.  The bees are busy.  And the daytime temperatures are in 80s.

All I need is a Doris Day record playing in the background and a basket of flower pedal to occasionally throw like confetti.

{vintage dress from Avant Garb)

Oh I love this time of year!  I don't want anything to change.  I would be perfectly content watching period dramas in a bathing suit and drafting corset patterns with the windows open for the rest of my life.  Happy Spring!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ ripe city ~

Well, spring break 2015 is wonderfully uncomplicated, so I figured I would go ahead and start a new series on this ole blog.  A brief spotlight on some of my favorite small businesses around town!

In the last few years, Tallahassee has become overflowing with small businesses - restaurants, art galleries, bookshops, vintage stores, boutiques, bakeries, food trucks, and urban farms, among others.  Some have gone out of business, but the majority have hung on, thanks to good planing, good advertising, a public support.

The first local business in this series is the awesome Ripe City, an urban farm right smack in the middle of town.  I've always been passionate about the environment, and in particular, gardening.  Growing up, the day's activities were dictated by what was growing in the garden that season - almost every summer evening was spent picking (or digging up) our dinner.  Corn, butter beans, green beans, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, and tons and tons of herbs.  Now that my life has gotten more complicated and gardening has taken the backseat, it's so great to see a group of people who have dedicated their days to providing people and local restaurants with fresh vegetables.

                 

So if you're looking for great local, organic produce, check out Ripe City - both online (website, facebook, pinterest), on Instagram (@ripecity) and in person.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ the weekend ~

Whoever first formed the concept of time, and the calender, and decided that there should only be two days per weekend was a bitter person and I would curse their name if I knew what it was.

  But with my New Year's resolution to not complain so much in mind, I will take whatever time I can get and not think about it coming to an end.

Yesterday I got all my homework done, ran some errands (and bought new shoes), and had a great dinner.  Then I watched Birdman (so good), ate strawberries on soy ice cream, and went to bed.

{gap shirt, target cardigan, vintage scarf, vintage skirt via. my grandmother}

Today I got up semi-early, ate a big breakfast, and then spent a beautiful day at St. Marks, walking around the old fort and disconnecting from the stressful things in my life.

Tomorrow it's back to studying and going to bed before midnight, but first, The Oscars!  I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ springtime ~

I can't wait for spring, so I'm gonna go ahead and pretend that it's March and the flowers are blooming, the bees are flying, and I'm unpacking the shorts and putting away the sweaters because the idea of two more months of layering and hurrying from one poorly heated building to another is disappointing.  Party to console myself (and partly to avoid doing the things I actually need to do), I've been slowly purging my closet to make room for floral 50s dresses, cigarette pants, and an assortment of playsuits and rompers (none of which I currently have).

Not that I haven't enjoyed wearing my vintage coats, (faux) fur stole, turbans, and fleece lined everything, but I'm really excited about wearing fewer articles of clothing.  Maybe my hatred of winter is due to the fact that I spent the vast majority of my childhood running around in my underwear and the plastic version of Dorothy's ruby slippers (just look at my childhood photos - it's like I didn't have any other shoes), and only layering on pants and a jacket when it got too cold to go swimming and play Oregon Trail outside.  Whatever the reason, a decade later, I still hate winter.

I'm ready for beach days, and popsicles, and temperatures that begin with numbers greater than 7.
And until that first glorious day of spring, I'll be silently cursing winter and dreaming of better days ahead.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ Earth Day ~

What a beautiful day to celebrate our beautiful planet.  Yesterday Mother Nature put on quite a show!  Blue skies, spring temperatures, flowers in bloom, bees at full speed.  It could not have been a prettier day!

{a freshly-painted landscape}

A simple outfit for a busy day.

{Old Navy shorts, Gap top, Uniqlo scarf, Old Navy flats}

What a beautiful world we live in!

xoxo,

Eliza

P.S.

I'll leave you with an outfit photo outtake - apparently 12 years of ballet goes down the drain when I'm standing on the stairs...

I hope you've had a lovely day!

~ 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

~ passover ~

Tonight marks the beginning of Passover - one of my favorite Jewish holidays.  Here are some highlights from this beautiful spring day!

{Gap jeans, Old Navy shoes, F21 top, Old Navy blazer, Uniqlo scarf}

A good message on the sidewalk

My pre-Passover feast!

Tonight's matzo ball soup - YUM!

After getting a boat load of work done today, I'm settled down on the couch with macaroons and tea.  Time to watch Dancing With the Stars!  Happy Passover, everyone!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ scad day ~

Today I got to see the Savannah College of Art and Design, and let me tell you, there was a lot to see!  Since the campus is pretty much in the heart of downtown Savannah, touring the campus was basically getting a historical education as well.  Not only does this college offer many interesting majors, but everyone I spoke to was nice, informative, passionate about what they're doing, and reassured me that my life goals are not impossible - something that was very refreshing!

The photography building was incredible - super sleek and modern with amazing resources (large format printers, a HUGE darkroom, and students can rent the highest quality equipment!)

{I fell in love with this camera!}

I didn't get many pictures in the production design building, but believe me when I say it was AMAZING.

And look who I found in one of costume studios!

I also got to go on a tour with my friend Alex, who is an evening wear designer at SCAD - I've modeled for her several times and her designs are spectacular!  Remember her name because I know she's gonna make it big!

After exploring around, mommy and I grabbed lunch from the SCAD International Festival in Forsyth Park.

 

My interests have kind of shifted through the years.  Just a few years ago I was seriously considering fashion or costume design, when I was really little I wanted to be a doctor, but now I've decided on photography and production design.  Since I'm completely fascinated with historical costumes and their use in film and television, I figure why not combine the two, and that seems to fall in the broad category of production design and (possibly) art history.  So for now, I'm exploring all of my options and remaining open to anything that interests me!

Thank you so much to my wonderful mommy for being just as excited and interested in the campus as I was (and bearing with me through 6 hours of exploring darkrooms, massive costume rooms, walking blocks and blocks, and talking to an incredibly attractive admissions advisor)!  Today would have been really super weird if you hadn't been there.

xoxo,

Eliza