in excess

i remember sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of eggo waffles in front of me. i must have been seven-ish. after butter-ing and syrup-ing, i noted the best bite and ate it after everything else was finished—just as i did every morning.

a few weeks ago, out to dinner with a friend, we spoke about our resolutions for 2013. she had a variety of goals for herself that she was already on-way to implementing. i hadn't even considered making a resolution. i never do for the new year. but today is february 2, and i now know what mine will be. breaking the terrible habit i've had for as long as i can remember: saving the best for last.

fancy bottles of lotions and oils scattered around my bathroom: i will use you up. all fragrances will be sprayed to the very last drop, and pretty stationery will be sent out in the mail to friends who deserve nice letters. i am forcing myself out of this mentality, and will enjoy in excess. 

pretty simple

one day of candy-colored hair using supplies from the art store? sign me up. several beauty blogs have been posting how-tos lately, and i just had to give this a try. its simplicity (and washability) intrigued me. ever since i saw ms. charlotte free rock her pink tresses last year at fashion week, i've been dye-ing (lame!) to try out this look. i just didn't want to commit. 

i headed over to the art store for the goods: soft pastels, i used sennelier. turquoise and magenta. i came home and colored in varying strands of my ballerina bun. that is all, it was that easy. i read that it works best if you're going to wear your hair up, as the pastels may make their way down on to clothing. darker hair? make sure to wet it first to capture the pigment. but if you're a blonde, do not add water. it would actually create a dye. unless that's what you're going for. it's rather chic, no? 

and as promised, it washed out the next day.

violet

maybe i've been in new york too long, and am wildly in need of a vacation (true, and i leave for vermont tomorrow), but i've been totally lagging on noticing the lovely little occurrences that used to be so apparent. i'm beyond excited/desperate to spend some time in the green mountain state for a few days. anyway, i know it takes effort and it's easy to let things slide, so to kick things off, i tried to be more aware this weekend. this is what i came up with: 

mary brought me back an amethyst from charleston. i am so grateful and it made me ridiculously happy. when i went to cannes, i brought her back a blue seashell. i am pleased that we exchange treasure. mary gets it.

there is a stamp store a block away from my apartment. during annie's last visit to the city, we stopped in and she bought a swimming lady. i have a rose, which i did not buy from this store but i so appreciate having my own stamp. 

this was a painting that was on my street near a garbage can. it looks like a flying pig. i liked it, but not enough to hang in my apartment and nothing is worth the risk of bedbugs. i liked it enough to add to my blog tonight.

ali's homemade macarons for jenna's welcome-to-new-york party were divine. truly, they've rivaled any macaron i've ever had. and i am no amateur. they were baked with love.

here are the clothes that i am taking to vermont. i spent half of sunday packing for this trip. i am an ace packer, and i weirdly think it is adds into the fun of going away...

...but figuring out what makeup to bring is a different story. especially when i will probably go without for most of the trip. it is vermont, after all. essentials only. this is what i've decided on. it all looks pretty, no?

there you have it. a slew of things that were lovely. 

perfect fit

sometimes something comes into your life, and you don't even know how truly right it is at first. and once the dust settles, you can't imagine life without it. it's a perfect fit.

much like this crystal/turquoise beaded chandelier that i ordered from urban outfitters a few months ago, of course. it is the third chandelier in my apartment, remember this one i made a few summers ago? when it first arrived, i wasn't quite sure about it. but oh gee, it really is quite lovely. it came slightly damaged. several detached beaded strands (that were impossible to fix) caused for it to hang lopsided. but instead of sending it back, i attached a large crystal (that i inherited from my great aunt) for the perfect balance and a personal touch. 

blue beauty

last week, nars launched a line of nail color in collaboration with thakoon that was inspired by the designer's spring collection. the shades are strikingly pretty, but one hue stands out amongst the rest. kutki. i just know that this pretty powdery blue will be my summer go-to. and even though i have said this about three other summer shades so far, this really is the one. i swear. it's more vibrant than the typical sky blues that grace store shelves this time of year. it's warmer, richer. i like to think of it as the blue answer to the 2009 phenom of creamy green mint candy apple by essie, which 7/10 of my friends are wearing at any given moment.

the laundry

if you really want to indulge, go out there and get yourself a bottle of le labo's rose 31 detergent. it is beyond divine and it will make wearing a white tee, slipping into sheets, drying off with a towel, etc. more lovely than you could ever imagine. trust me. 

my mother has been using this stuff for years, so whenever i travel back to connecticut, i am overly eager to bring my laundry along with me. but this weekend, she got me a bottle of my very own (merci, merci, merci!), so i guess this means i can pack a bit lighter from now on for a weekend home.

elle

somewhere in soho.

mor and mor

i couldn't just toss this mor candle in the garbage after it was finished. it was far too pretty with its perfect white glass and pretty metallic peacocks. i am a complete sucker for packaging (proof: i have four empty britney spears curious bottles in my apartment), so clearly this jar just needed a new purpose.

and voila, a new makeup brush holder, which has also inspired me to actually use my makeup brushes again. a win-win.

pretty simple

gems in my jewelry box,

and ranunculuses by my bed.

labf

had to.

white lightning

after the quiet of summer, the energy of fashion week is electrifying.

pretties getting pretty

lunch

the look

bambi

rosey

i like to walk the length of my street from the east village to the west. even though i've lived in the west village before, and even though it's only a mile away from my apartment now, it seems like a world away. and so it makes for the perfect walk at night with ben. but last night we switched it up and walked east down my street to avenue d with the specific goal of seeing rats. rats love alphabet city and i love (seeing) rats. very new york. anyway, we saw three. it probably would have been more but we stopped paying attention.

ben waited on my stoop and i came downstairs wearing a navy sweatshirt, even though it must have been 90 degrees outside. i'm bad at gauging the temperature (especially if i am inside with an air conditioner) and i was immediately hot when i walked outside. anyway, he brought me the most beautiful pink rose and i carried it on our walk. it was romantical. i love when ben brings me flowers. i have every single one he has ever given to me. i should probably learn how to dry flowers properly because most look like sad, shriveled-up things. regardless.

the third night that ben and i saw each other, after we met in january, it was snowing and probably 10 degrees outside. we decided to just stay in my warm apartment and sing along to records, but i told him that he had to also bring a sweet treat with him. he came over with the best cookies in the entire world (tate's) which we both have a love for, and flowers. i knew he was the man for me. flowers on an ordinary night.

vermont weekend

ben and i stayed with annie in vermont last week over memorial day weekend. a much needed break from new york city. burlington is such an amazing city. and even though the weather was not ideal, we had a lovely and leisurely time.

co-ey

lady planter

e + j's heads

a city market sandwich, of course

a visit to the ol' campus

i've strictly been using disposable cameras lately. the time it takes to develop the film, to when i am able to post pictures is my biggest challenge. but the film looks so wonderful, doesn't it? compared to a digital camera. it's more expensive, but i think it's worth it to not have the luxury of immediately seeing the images or taking a photo five times to get it right. i love, love, love the moment of seeing the pictures for the first time. especially after a weekend getaway.