~ the places, spaces, and little things~

After taking a much needed (and unannounced) break from the blogging world, I'm back.  Seven months is probably the new record for not posting anything, but I feel refreshed, motivated and ready to start sharing bits of my world again!

During my absence, I've had lots of time to think things over and make some big decisions in my life.  One of those decisions is to bring a little joy into other people's lives every day (no matter how small).  That joy could come from something as ordinary as a pretty picture, or even smiling at someone in the grocery store -  but in my journey to personal happiness, why not lift everyone else up a little bit along the way?  So here goes!  Here are some things that have made me ridiculously happy for the past few months.  I hope you find joy and happiness from them too.



{I never thought I'd voluntarily wake up at 7 am during the summer, but it's kinda fun taking an art class on campus when most people are still asleep}



{the universe has a funny way of leaving messages for you just when you need to see them most - all found in places where I go almost daily}



{seeing beautiful roadways}



{visiting the mermaids at Weeki Wachee}



{choosing a new career path}



{stopping at road-side art stands - Ruby See Williams.  The sweetest lady and a beautiful, creative spirit}



{exploring my surroundings}



{finding what I think we can all agree is the cutest car in history!  Photo from pinterest}



{seeing anthropologie's take on my summer uniform - they know the way to my heart!}



{taking time to self-reflect.  Make a list of the things that make you happy (big AND small), relive your greatest memories, start a gratitude journal, read your favorite book, walk around a park by yourself, and shut off all electronics - take a vacation from social networking!}



{letting the people I care about know HOW much I care about them.  Dialog by Rudolf Bonvie, 1973}



{and finally - discovering New Girl.  And watching the entire first season in the span of a week.}

xoxo,
Eliza

The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid. ~ Author Unknown

The Holidays....

Tonight is the 7th night of Chanukah.  I am 17.  Ones and sevens are two of my favorite numbers, so as expected, tonight was very meaningful.  I am realizing some things in my old age (haha!).  I do not like confrontation and hatred: I like hot baths, Starbuck's soy lattes, red lipstick and spending time with those I love.  I like cats - even when they bite me for no reason at all - and I like kindness.  I've also learned that I cannot change people: I can only change how I react to them.  This is a major turning point for me.

Some things I'm grateful for tonight: I'm grateful for watching David Letterman with my wonderful Mommy after having latkes with my lovely sister.  I'm grateful for my new "It's Gonna Be Okay" journal and for the warm cat on my lap.  I'm thankful for kind people doing amazing things and kind people doing simply ordinary things (sometimes the ordinary things are the most important).  I'm thankful for this roof over my head and the opportunities that have come into my life and I'm excited for those that are yet to come.

Now time for the holiday part of this post!

Today's outfit| cranberries| tuscan blood orange candle 

One of my Chanukah gifts: Grace Coddington's memoir - SO good!

 (slightly burnt) Ice-Box cookies - yummy!

     And finally (no pun intended, I swear), a bit of encouragement from Ryan Gosling - don't mind if I do!

Happiness....

So far, late October/early November has been pure happiness.  Halloween, followed by my 17th birthday, followed by an awesome birthday picnic with Izze sodas, chocolate cake and best friends, an afternoon photoshoot, and the election.  Even though I stayed up till 3 am watching the speech (!!!) and then had to get up for class at 8, it was super fun.

Halloween;

My costume - Mary Poppins!

My Birthday - November 1st:

I took the day off from school, opened my presents in the morning, watched my mom vote (an every four year birthday tradition!) had dinner with the family at Carabba's and then came home for vegan cake and ice cream - all in all, a pretty fabulous day!

On Sunday I met two of my best friends at Lake Ella for a picnic - it was a beautiful day!

On Sunday I also did a self portrait photoshoot using my new remote wireless shutter control: 

Such a fun week - I hope everyone had amazing ones as well!

Snapshots...

Fall is definitely upon us!  Here are some snapshots of my week and all the fall-ness that occurred as well as some things I'm currently obsessed with.  Enjoy!

1.  my uniform as of late - Gap jacket, Gap t-shirt, Target Jeans, Gap ballet flats

and my sweet boy, Jack too...

2.  my new favorite Gap purchase - plaid, cropped pants...could it get any better??

3.  the leaves are changing and fall foliage is blooming at our house...

4.  and finally, my latest obsession: tattoos.

(photo from A Cup of Joe)



But not just any tattoos - temporary tattoos!

Amazing, right?!  They're from Tattly (http://tattly.com/), which I'm pretty sure is my new favorite website.  Every single tattoo is beautifully designed and completely unique.  I found at least 25 that I want within the first few minutes of checking it out!

I hope that you all are enjoying fall!

Where Do I Begin?

Seriously?!  It's September?  That doesn't seem right.  It should be, like, March.  I've gone through many changes this year - so many that I hardly know where to begin.  I've had a change of mind, a change of heart and a change of plans.  Things are different now - some are better, some are not, and some are just different in a ways I can't articulate.  But I do know that everything will eventually be all right again.  This is just one chapter coming to a close.  That's the only way the next one can open.

With all of these changes in my life happening at the same time, I'm taking this time to reinvent myself.  This is my time to re-evaluate and detox.  It's something that I've needed to do for a while but I kept putting off.  It's time.

It's time to cleanse and cut through the crap - that includes cleaning out my closet, redecorating my room, clearing my schedule, wearing less makeup (something that feels so freeing), wearing what I feel good in, getting back in shape, eating right and filling my life with positive energy.

So without further adieu - here are some things that are motivating me towards making that positive change.

Interior design inspiration:

*all photos from my pinterest*

Wardrobe inspiration:

 Health inspiration:

going makeup free

 getting back into running two miles a day around our neighborhood-

 I love this photo that I took of my mom going for a walk last fall...

Eating healthy -

tofu and stir-fried veggies over rice - yummy!

Have you read Wild by Cheryl Strayed?  My mom recommended it to me and I'm about to start it.  It's a book about reinvention and going through the process of healing - just what I need to read right now.

My life is definitely different now, but different isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I'm going to do my best to accept whatever comes next and remember that my past is simply that: past.

time to move forward with a smile :)

Summer Days...

To me, summer means doing all of the things you've wanted to do all year but haven't had time for.  Like wearing some of my favorite vintage pieces, swimming in the pool twice a day, sleeping in, visiting friends and family (we leave on Tuesday to visit Emmy in Philly!), doing Blogilates, finishing projects that you started months ago, watching Sherlock and baking cookies.  Things like that.

This is by far my favorite vintage dress that I own - partially because of how gorgeous it
is and because my grandmother made it!

Oh and I absolutely LOVE Zac Posen's 2013 resort collection (photos from vogue.com)!  The rich colors and textures, the structured pieces, the vintage feel: perfection.

I LOVE this one - the 50s vibe is amazing!

This one looks very 30s - I love the print.  And those sleeves!

 
This dress is without a doubt my favorite.  The color is amazing and I love the neckline!

Since I'm on the topic of summer, here's a shot of Wakulla Springs that I took last summer.  The water is currently too high to swim in thanks to the tropical storm, but as soon as it goes down, I'll be there with a picnic!

Well there you have it!  I'll post again while I'm in Philadelphia with details of our 4th of July celebrations (think: Philidelphia Pops concert at Independence Hall, free Queen Latifa and Jonas Brothers concert, fireworks and hopefully lots of vegan ice cream).  Have a happy (and safe) 4th of July everyone!!