on hearts.

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.”- Oscar Wilde

It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come.” -Dalai Lama

this heart print (spotted via moodboard) stopped me in.my.tracks. i wanted it to be a shirtdress, but it turns out that it’s actually a skirt and button up. maybe that’s better? either way, i am in love.

in sum, i think it’s ok to wear your heart on your sleeve. or lapel?

happy friday!

images from: natthefatrat, monstern, and moodboard

tuesday was just a normal workday.

after work i went to whole foods to get supplies for dinner (can you tell i like food?) and they had AMAZING flowers out. their flowers are usually pretty great, but these seemed extra special.

i also saw this pretty sign listing some upcoming events. i liked the birdies more than the events.

i wore my new valentino jacket scored at tj maxx for $39 and i felt pretty special. also, i’m becoming a fan of the feet shot.

on a side note, i think i want to make some of these little felt heart pins to wear and to gift this valentine’s day. aren’t they so sweet?

they look pretty easy, and not too expensive. i’m going to be on a work trip this year for heart’s day (same as last year) but that doesn’t mean i can’t celebrate, right?

find the felt pin tutorial on purl bee here

yesterday morning was misty and grey. something about a banana muffin and hot tea makes the morning feel a bit cozier.

the skies stayed grey and misty all day. it looked like snow. but it wasn’t.

i ventured across the street for supplies to make one of my favorite recipes, and a baguette. i love the christmas lights that are still up.

3 people at my office wore plaid shoes. something about gingham shoes must just make a day cheerier.

 

 

haven’t made any baubles in a long while.  these ideas popped into my head on the way home from brunch on sunday. i don’t really have the proper supplies, so i decided to at least put the ideas down on ‘paper’. perhaps a bead run is in order?

i can hardly believe it, but husband and i are heading back to the city of lights in 37 days.  i didn’t realize it was coming up so soon! we have been planning our trip, trying to learn from our last experience and make sure that we make the most out of this next one. reading up on reviews of restaurants from foodies like david lebovitz and john talbott, planning purchases of longchamps and loose tea and perfume, and making lists upon lists of musees and marches…

last time, we planned everything in a google map and weren’t able to access it all once we entered the land of no-data.  this time, i’m putting everything into a few moleskine notebooks- lists of locations and metro stops by arrondissement. during the trip, i’ll take notes on what we do and where we go, and afterwards, it will be like a catalog of memories.

so excited!

sometimes you come across an image that’s so striking it just stops you right in your tracks.

 

can you believe that these are aerial photos? i absolutely positively love them.

images via patternsfromabove

over the past few days, husband and i (which means mostly husband, because he just so happens to be the best and most diligent) have been researching apartments in paris for a second trip. this second trip could be happening as soon as march first. i am so hopeful i can hardly stand it, and i am already dreaming of the sparkly tower, late nights and lots of red wine, wandering through old cobblestoney streets, drinking cafe au lait in moody cafes, oogling expensive fashions, and eating more baked goods than anyone ever should.

 

tonight i decided that i really enjoyed the sleek, clean look of this scotch naturals bottle while scrolling through pinterest, so i decided to get a little practice and sketch my own. twinsies?

 

 

 

can’t we keep party banners up all the time? i love this.

P.S. did i tell you we might be going back to paris…? eep!

 

 

 

for some reason, a few weeks ago i decided that i needed a watch. why you ask? don’t you have like 900 watches? well yes, yes i do.  but something inside me just had to have a new watch. which really means, husband got a new watch for christmas and i was so jealous that i had to have one too. and somehow, this watch had to be PERFECT. the watch that defined my style, that i could wear everyday.  the watch that looked dressed up and dressed down and cool and modern and slick and sporty and expensive but not be too expensive all at once.

and so, the hunt began. and quickly turned into an effort to define myself as a person. by way of a watch. what kind of person would wear this watch? what would she wear it with? am i this person? what kind of person am i?

i know, it’s nutty. but you know what? i’m kinda nutty. so after countless watch try-ons and online searches and things being sold out or not in store, these are the two that are on their way to me:

this was choice number one. i love it. problem being, when i tried on skagens with a mesh band, it was kinda pinch-y…?

this one is an attempt to replicate the look of one of the most classic watches of all time, the cartier tank. which is clearly at least $2k, which my $100 macy’s gift card (thanks macy’s, for shipping my christmas present late and feeling obliged to give me free money!) cannot afford.

 

so, i guess we’ll find out what kind of person i really am when they arrive (hopefully!) next week. i’ll keep you posted.

top image here