GIRLS: Charlie's Apartment

Did you guys watch the first season of Girls? I have to say, it's proven to be pretty polarizing here in the city in which the show takes place. Some people say it's completely unbelievable and the characters are unlikable and not at all relatable...others, like me, say these people are exactly like myself and my friends. It more than resonates with me, so I try not to take offense when people dislike the Girls. I think it paints a fairly realistic picture of life as a twenty-something when you are definitely nowhere near as fabulous as you think you should be at this point. I highly recommend you at least check it out. If anything, for the "breakout star" of the show: Charlie's Apartment. While Charlie's girlfriend, Marnie, found it a bit...claustrophobic in the end, it's probably the most endearing piece of set design I've ever seen. I know every twenty-something apartment-dweller secretly wished their own studio or bedroom looked a little more like this. Check it out!

The entryway. Love the idea of overlapping rugs. Image via LA at Home

The stained Piet Mondrian-esque built-in storage unit. Image via LA at Home

An enclosed bed with storage stairs leading to a lofted living area. Image via LA at Home

A wire boxspring used to hang pots and mugs in the kitchen. Image via LA at Home

The concept sketch for this amazing set piece. Image via LA at Home

Songs of Summer: Some Nights

This album, Some Nights by Fun. is definitely on my "most frequently played" list this summer. My roommate tipped me off that the entire album is just as likable as that "We Are Young" song (before hearing it  eleventy-billion times, anyway) and it really is! The title song basically had me at hello. It's so multi-dimensional and harmonious, not to mention just plain infectious. The singer's voice has such a Freddy Mercury quality. Anyway, give it a listen. It's great on the iPhone, but I bet it's even better on vinyl.

Crystal Clear

I am a big fan of Warby Parker. In fact, I wear their prescription glasses almost every day and I get compliments on them constantly. Even from strangers! (If you're curious, I wear the Crosby Burgundy Fade.) Anyway, I was positively thrilled when the Summer Crystals line popped into my inbox. They are really something beautiful to collect for the season. And the photos are styled to perfection, in the theme of one of my favorite blogs, Things Organized Neatly. I wanted to share the pictures with you, in the hopes that maybe one of these delicious pairs will strike your fancy! They are like a cool, fresh popsicle on a hot, steamy day. I happen to have my eye on this pair...

Trilliny in Bellini

Rafferty in Aqua Tonic

Willoughby in Earl Grey

Preston in Bellini

Beckett in Aqua Tonic

Everett in Bellini

Ellery in Tidal Blue

Hair Brush(ology)

I saw this chart on Pinterest today, and it definitely got me thinking... I am pretty hopeless at styling my hair beyond it's natural tendencies and inclinations. I know how to straighten or curl it, and I can do a braided headband like a pro, but I never use a hairdryer so brushes aren't exactly the #1 tool in my arsenal. In fact, out of all of these brushes, I exclusively use #5, a wooden paddle brush, though mine is this one from Aveda. How many of these do you guys use? Do you use different brushes for different styling maneuvers? Fill me in!

Image via Latest-Hairstyles

Kate Spade Heels

I have been dreaming of nothing but shoes lately. I haven't bought a pair in...it seems like months. Who has time to shop, anyway? I haven't bought a pair of truly impractical pumps in even longer than months, but that hasn't stopped me from ogling these options from Kate Spade. Polka dots, stripes, ribbons, and glitter. I'll take one of each, please, but especially 3, 5, 7 and 8! Which ones are your favorite?

1  Reena in African Violet/Red
2  Bloom in Violet
3  Loire in Black
4  Sawyer in Multi
5  Lisa in Ink Blue
6  Corinne in Teal, Gold Glitter
7  Karolina in Black
8  Charm in Navy

Wonderful + Whimsical

I think I happened upon quite possibly the most amazing Pinterest account I've ever encountered! Will you get a load of these bright, cheerful, colorful interiors? I can't imagine better eye candy on a Monday... Thank you Pinterest, and double thank you to Live from IKEA FAMILY for a major dose of inspiration. Check these beauties out!

Originally pinned from Camille Styles

Original pin here

Originally pinned from Bungalow 5

Originally pinned from Éénig Wonen

Originally pinned from by.bak

Originally pinned from House to Home

Originally pinned from Coco+Kelley

We're the Kids in America

I hope you all had a fantastic Fourth of July! I spent my day at Fort Tilden Park, located in the far Rockaway area, just laying in the sun, swimming in the ocean and getting sunburnt to a crisp. It was unbelievably perfect, (except for the sunburn part. Don't forget your SPF!) And it wasn't toooo crowded considering the rest of New York City had the day off. It's easy to forget that I live in a coastal town, since I typically stay close to the gridiron. But as long as you don't mind taking the subway for an hour and a half, then hopping a shuttle, and then hopping a bus, you're never too far from the beach! I need to go explore the different beaches every weekend until Autumn. But next time I'll remember to take more time applying my sunscreen, so I won't spend the entire next day slathering on the aloe and walking like Frankenstein. Here are some instagram photos taken throughout the day. Also, I couldn't hit you with that title and not give you a chance to hear this 90s classic...Enjoy!

My favorite, taken toward the end of the day. Photo by Jaclyn Denmark.

Fourth of July beach style. Photo by Galina Arnaut.

The long walk from the bus stop to the water! Photo by Jenna Brucoli.

The beach at Fort Tilden Park at 12:00 noon. Photo by Jenna Brucoli.

Umbrellas and chairs for the more prepared beach-goers. Photo by Jenna Brucoli.

The Big Bang: Amy Borrell

I saw this closeup of a print by Amy Borrell today on Pinterest, and it stopped me in my rollerball tracks. It's so incredibly random and beautiful. Those colors! It reminds me of something I wish I had the time and/or talent to create while I was in art school...watercolor mixed with crayon, pen, india ink, and even embroidery thrown in? Yes, please. I just wish it was sold as a long print exactly like this, because I currently have a very spacious hallway that happens to be begging for some art. But if you're interested in checking out the actual piece, which is even more lovely, visit Little Paper Planes. The print is 42x42" and rings up at $225.

If you'd like to check more Pins, you can follow me right here on Pinterest. Cheers!

Madewell for Spring

It's been a while since I've talked about Madewell. In fact, it's been a while since I've shopped there! But that's because my favorite thing about the brand is their Summery dresses. When the heat kicks up, I want to wear leather sandals and flouncy dresses, and long pendant necklaces, and maybe even a straw hat. And that is always the perfect mood for Madewell! What are your Summer go-to pieces this year?

1  Chambray Eyelet Dress   I   2  Silk Shapesketch Twist-Back Tankdress

3 Stucco Stripe Songbird Dress   I   4 Stitched Dress

Peachy in Columbus!

Until 6 months ago, I had never lived anywhere but Ohio. And I am not even a little bit ashamed of that fact! It was a great place to grow up and, franky, it's the state with the cutest shape in the union... So there's that. Since I moved to NYC, my life has been on overdrive. So much so that it felt like I warped into this alternate reality, and when I got back to C-bus on Saturday morning, my old life just picked up right where it left off. Very sci-fi, I know. I got to see lots of friends, eat delicious food that I have been craaaaving, listen to great music, hang out in the Peach District, go swimming, dance and dance and dance some more, celebrate the Summer Solstice early, wear a crown made of flowers, sit on a front porch, lay in some grass, and enjoy a record amount of Brooklyn Summer Ale (a little taste of new home at old home prices. Score!) Here is my entire weekend in photos. Enjoy your own little taste of Columbus!

My favorite old sign on High St.

My faaaavorite swingset ever right near Aab India in Grandview

Delicious breakfast at Marshall's in Grandview

I helped make these snowflakes right before I moved. Still there!

Party at the most famous backyard swimming pool in Columbus

My fabulous friend Abigail at the Peach District Classic

Peach District Classic: Photo by Cate, aka Pearrier on Tumblr, aka my BFF

The wonderful Johnny Newman performing at the Peach District Classic

The DewDroppers, aka my favorite local band in all of Columbus

I was having so much fun, I missed the bus back to New York...
Luckily, there was another coming in 2 hours! 

Wink, Wink

Somebody payed a little surprise(ish) visit to Columbus this past weekend! Spoiler Alert: It was me. I had an amazing time, and now that I finally have this handy, dandy iPhone, I am about to resume blogging in full force. Thank you, Instagram! So, a full post about my weekend will be forthcoming, but for now, here's a little tease... BAM! ...Yeah, I did that.

Magnetic Valentine by Laura Sanders and Cate Humpage

Seasons

Spring has (sort of) sprung in New York. It's hard to believe I've technically been here for two seasons, five months, six monthly metro cards, two broken Amazon Kindles, 8 failed attempts to find just the right Indian food, two campaigns headed for launch, the passing of a grandparent and another, recently, of a dear friend... Happy and sad things have happened in my six months in exile. I've been straddling two worlds and two selves. The me who always made time to write in this blog no matter how crazy life got, because it relaxed and centered me...versus the me who feels so detached from her old self while navigating this new experience that she forgets to call her parents, sometimes for more than a week, and hardly ever has time to catch up with her best friends.

I have learned these past few days that just because I'm finding myself a bit changed doesn't mean I have to completely shed my skin and restart my life. There is no BC or AD about my life in NYC. I accept that everything is a juxtaposition, an oxymoron, a beautiful green park dwarfed by massive metallic skyscrapers, the gorgeous smell of a fresh flower market cut off by the less-than-desirable smell of that nearby dumpster, a bedroom that is ready to be finished save for that last box waiting to be unpacked, clothes to be folded and put away until next winter. Life is tricky, but we'll never stop learning. Never stop questioning. Never stop trying to figure out who we are. And maybe that's okay. For now.

Photo taken at Bryant Park on a lunch break

Kate Spade: City Guides

I was beyond excited to find these Fathom for Kate Spade City Guides in my e-mail yesterday! I would by no means call myself a traveler, since I compare myself to my best friend who checks plane tickets to far away destinations before she even checks her e-mail each morning...or another who is zipping off to China for three entire weeks, just for fun...but I would certainly entertain the idea of planning a trip soon. There's been talk of Paris and Ireland, but these trips are getting bumped to next year because I have been enjoying my own little permanent vacation every day.

Anyway, these adorable, illustrated packing guides on Kate Spade make me infinitely happy. They have totally inspired me to spend more time illustrating things for this blog...So you can perhaps look forward to that! But for now, I insist you check out the rest of the City Guides, ASAP. Enjoy!

Tokyo Packing List via Kate Spade

London Packing List via Kate Spade

Los Angeles Packing List via Kate Spade

Tahiti Packing List via Kate Spade

New York City Packing List via Kate Spade