~ thank you ~

I want to give a big thank you to Velva from Tomatoes on the Vine (http://tomatoesonthevine-velva.blogspot.com) for featuring one of my photographs on her weekly Wordless Wednesday post!  Whether you're a foodie, gardener, food photographer, or a lover of all things yummy, check out her blog - it's fantastic!

~ 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 

~ the greatest show on earth ~

I've always had this fascination with circuses, despite harboring an intense dislike for clowns (blame the one time a clown followed me around a circus when I was 4 years old).  There's something about the saturated colors, the sounds and smells, various unhealthy (but really, really good) foods that don't taste the same out of that setting, the beautiful costumes, and the interesting people that has always mesmerized me.  But I'm not talking about just any type of circus.  I'm talking about vintage circuses.

After visiting the Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota earlier this month, my obsession has intensified.  Before I even unpacked, I ransacked my closet looking for anything I could make into a circus costume!  I found an old wedding dress, took it apart, dyed it powder blue, and put it back together again.  It's my dream costume!  I don't think I'll ever take it off.

So here you go.  A photoshoot representing everything that I love about circuses plus some of the photos that will always inspire me to keep life weird and interesting!  Enjoy.



~ the detail on their costumes is beautiful! ~



~ I love the similarities between these two photos, despite the different time periods ~



~ my take on it all ~







~ different kinds of stripes ~







~ a balancing act ~



There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!!  I have a feeling my circus obsession is just getting started.

~ 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!