totally smitten.

did you see this post on joanna goddard's glamour.com blog, smitten? i read it first thing this morning and thought it was a lovely way to start the morning. i don't want to spoil the surprise, so click here to check out the post--it's a total heart warmer. (also: people love their puppies! yay.)

happy weekend, lovelies. xoxo

{ image via smitten }

belted beauties.

watching the oscars on sunday night was a nice reprieve from some of the other stuff that’s been going on lately—hugh jackman was amusing as a host, i thought, and i love-love-love analyzing the dresses everyone chooses to wear, as well as commenting on hairstyles and makeup. in my opinion, amy adams, marisa tomei, kate winslet and natalie portman looked radiant, and i thought the slew of ivory dresses worn by evan rachel wood, anne hathaway (love her) and penelope cruz were also interesting. in tough times, is white a sign of hope? what do you think?

another trend i noticed? belts! can i just tell you that i love a cinched waist? i think it’s so flattering—it creates shape and emphasizes the narrowest part of a woman’s body. sarah jessica parker, marion cotillard and miley cyrus all embraced the belt trend, and i thought that worked for their body types. these dresses certainly aren’t my absolute favorites of the night (miley looks kind of like an overgrown butterfly), but i think they’re good examples of how to make belts look formal.

what do you think? who made your oscars best-dressed list?

home inspiration: cheery kitchen.

so, as i mentioned, i'm moving in a month and i'm really looking forward to revamping my place. laure's gorgeous venice apartment is a total inspiration, and i'm loving this kitchen that i spied in a design*sponge sneak peek yesterday. it's a time of new starts for me, and i'm looking forward to filling my new home with lots of color and joy. yay!

we were both young when i first saw you...

so...taylor swift is not someone whose songs i ever thought i'd quote. however, this line from her amazingly catchy "love story" is killing me:

you were everything to me--
i was begging you "please, don't go."

all i have to say right now is damn. (and also, have you ever noticed that when you're feeling emotional, every song on the radio has heightened meaning? today i heard lifehouse's "broken," followed immediately by eve 6's "here's to the night." good god, people. i almost melted into my car seat.)

what song does it for you right now?

{ image: le love. doesn't it remind you a little of peter pan and wendy? }

my goal for the weekend:

xoxo!

{ image from here. }

sleep to dream.

i am in love with this photo. i love reading in bed, and i feel like this picture captures the moment you first begin to fall asleep with a book in your hands.

p.s. what are you reading right now?

{ image from here }

there you'll be.

this photo is pretty much my dream. wouldn't you just love to be sitting in that chair, reading handwritten letters and looking out at the sea?

{ via this is glamorous, of course }

so...

hello, my loves--i'm so sorry for the (unintentional) blog hiatus! last week was a really, really rough one, and i didn't have time to post. but i'm back now, and to kick off this week--albeit a little late--i give you these balloons. let's call it a peace offering, shall we?

see you tomorrow. until then, i'll leave you with these (super-random) thoughts:

+ saw he's just not that into you this weekend with some gal pals. my thoughts? it was a little "eh," although good for valentine's day. what did you think?
+ i've started eating fish again after five years of no meat whatsoever, and i had a piece of white tuna sashimi at yume sushi here in sarasota on saturday night. um, hello--where have you been all my life?
+ i have to move, and i'm really excited about (a) more space--it will be so nice to have a bedroom, and not have friends use my bed for seating when they come over and (b) arranging my furniture/stuff. expect pics and questions starting in april. all i can think of right now is hauling my cookies to target to pick up some of the orla kiely line for my new place.
+ i am re-watching season one of grey's anatomy, and can i just say that--while i still love the show and will always be loyal--it was at its best in seasons one and two. i love tv on dvd.

{ image via oh joy. don't you love balloons? }

yes, yes, yes.

love!

happy friday, my lovelies. what are your plans for the weekend? i'll see you on monday...

{ image: ginthefer }

3,2,1...i do!

the other day, i woke up laughing because i'd just had a dream about getting married. but it wasn't an ordinary wedding dream--oh, no. thanks to a friend who put up a facebook status message about running out of gas smack-dab of the middle of a busy sarasota intersection, i dreamed that i was having a joint wedding with the lovely mel that took place at said intersection. one side of the street was completely closed off, and we processed down the road to the crosswalk, where a priest was waiting. the dream didn't get to the actual wedding ceremony itself, but i remember walking down the road with my husband-to-be in a very poufy wedding gown. (the best part of the dream was that i was apparently marrying a friend i've known since i was eight years old. i remember thinking, "he's so cute and nice, but we haven't seen each other in such a long time...why are we getting married?", but he kept saying to me, "this is the happiest day of my life!" aw.)

anyway, like i said, i wasn't super-thrilled with the dress with which i chose to outfit myself in the dream. but i do think the dress above, from the always reliable j.crew, is lovely and i'd love to get married in it one day. i'd do a low bun with a deep side part and a crimson lip, and i think i'd be very, very happy.

how do you feel about j.crew wedding dresses? xo!

{ image: j.crew }

strike a pose.

doesn't sofia coppola look gorgeous on the cover of paris vogue? and i'm digging the minimal coverlines, too--this way, the image takes center stage. lovely!

{ via black eiffel }

swiftly.

loving this drawing by elvis swift. you too, yes?

doppelganger.

it was cold and gray and rainy all day, and as i went from my car to my office and ran various errands around sarasota, i walked fast and tried to keep as warm as possible. perhaps i was this parisian girl's doppelganger today. i love her black tights, unkempt hair, coat and bag.

p.s. don't you just love the word "doppelganger"?

{ from here, mais oui. }