clothes-minded.

i'm a little embarrassed to make this next statement, but i'm going to go ahead and write it anyway: i am not good at vintage. i am so envious of people who are--people who can sift through racks of clothes and come away with gorgeous, one-of-a-kind outfits. i'm the same way with sales; i'm not good at them, either. i'm the girl who walks into a store, looks at the outfit on the mannequin or the pieces at the front of the store, and goes through them first. (i know.)

but when i came across 1918 vintage, via a notification that the shop was following me on twitter, i was inspired to try vintage again. the shop, run by miss meg, has a well-edited collection of super-pretty pieces that are, above all, very wearable and well-priced. i particularly love this apron dress; it's so anthropologie, is it not?

do you vintage?

p.s. another great vintage shop that inspires me to try again: pretty little world. the dresses are incredible.

{ images via 1918 vintage's lookbook }

before sunset.

this weekend, i went to a wedding at the ca d'zan mansion here in sarasota, which is located on the ringling museum of art campus. ca d'zan, which means "house of john," is the home that john and mable ringling (of ringling bros. fame) built and lived in during their tenure in town. it's absolutely beautiful, and was the perfect backdrop for the wedding, which was held at sunset and stretched into the night, with a live band playing on the terrace, twinkling stars shining overhead, and the sweet smell of roses from mable ringling's rose garden wafting through the air. a quintessentially sarasota event, indeed; one that made me remark, several times, that i would love to copy every last detail for my own wedding.

anyway, needless to say, the wedding was a lovely weekend centerpiece, and now here we are on monday again, beginning the last week of march. here's my little list what i'm committing to this week:

+ spending as much time as possible outside while the weather stays textbook perfect. (it won't be long before we're all turning on the air conditioner again.)
+ completing a huge work project.
+ finishing my book so i can start another one.
+ finally, finally getting my taxes (ugh) 100 percent complete.

what are your goals for the week? xoxo!

{ photo of the ca d'zan mansion via here }

what are you doing this weekend? + little letters

dear weekend,
thank you for finally getting here. i love you.

dear body,
i'm sorry for all the crap i've been shoveling inside you recently. garbage disposaltude will cease immediately.

dear ringling bridge,
you are a really awesome workout. you make me want to jump off you while i'm running you (you're steep), but feel so proud when i'm done with you.

dear spring weddings,
i love you, too. (congratulations to lovely l. and her fiance j., who are getting married on saturday, and to the equally lovely k. and j., who were married a few weeks ago in orlando.)

dear friends,
thank you for making me laugh so hard my face hurts, and for drinking beer with me, and for always, always, always being awesome.

dear mom,
i am jealous that you get to go to japan (!!!) next week. next time, please take me with you.

dear oscar,
i love you for patting my face with your little paw, for waking me up with eskimo kisses, and for always being so happy to see me when you come home. i've said it before, but you make my life brighter.

dear cold,
i think you're finally gone. YAY!

dear blog friends,
you are seriously amazing. thank you for being you.

p.s. what are you doing this weekend? please share, and i'll see you back here on monday! xoxo

{ lovely photo via mollyjune }

stitched up.

love-love-loving the embroidery work of susie cowie. so beautiful and delicate. 

(sorry for the lack of words today, everyone, but i think these photographs are pretty enough to make up for that.)

{ via this is naive }

cloudy with a chance of awesome.

i've been seeing little clouds everywhere around the blogosphere lately, from nikole's cookie cutters (and marshmallows!) to brenda's earrings to simone's necklace. now, i am generally one for sunshine and rainbows (almost annoyingly so). give me yellow rays and blue skies over clouds and rain any day (and ask me how happy i get when i can use--ok, exclaim--the words, "there's not a cloud in the sky!"). but after looking at these pretty things, i'm starting to think that maybe clouds are pretty great. especially if you can wear or eat them.

do you agree?

brownstone envy.

ida lives in the parlor room of a brooklyn brownstone, and her tiny studio is way more beautiful than my one-bedroom. "i consider my home to be inspirational," she says, "an organized reflection of what i love to look at." what a great mantra--one i think i'm going to adopt.

seriously, though, how gorgeous and well-edited is this apartment?

{ via apartment therapy }

happy monday! (and committing to...)

happy monday, friends--how were your weekends? mine was good--aside from the never-ending cold, which i think is finally in its final stages--i celebrated my friend t.'s 30th birthday again on siesta key, walked around in the beautiful weather, danced with some of my favorite people, and finished the book i'd been reading--the piano teacher, by janice lee. people, i may have been a little ambivalent about kathryn stockett's the help, but not so with this book. it was fantastic, and a little reminiscent of atonement, another of my favorites. i was having a conversation recently about how i think some writers feel like they have to adopt a certain, affected personality in their text--feel like they have to sound a certain way--and that simple, clear prose does not take away from the power of an idea, or make complicated thoughts any less so, and lee does a really great job of illustrating this point in the piano teacher. (oh, and next on my book list? nicholson baker's the anthologist.)


also, i watched the september issue--finally!--this weekend, and thoroughly enjoyed (as a former magazine editor myself, the publishing process still completely fascinates me), and i also found myself caught up in, and enjoying, the new show parenthood, which may have made me cry once or twice.

so that was my weekend. and now, here's what i'm committing to this week:

+ kicking this cold's butt once and for all!
+ getting back to the gym once i do the above. i miss working out.
+ taking a beach walk at least one night this week. march in florida = beautiful.
+ making sure to reach out to a good friend who i think feels a little left behind recently.

tell me what's going on with you! what books and movies have you been enjoying recently, and what are your goals for the week? xoxo.

{ sweet, bookish engagement photos via love and lavendar }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday! how were your weeks? what do your weekends look like? after my friend t.'s surprise 30th birthday party last weekend, which culminated in me going to bed at approximately 4:18 a.m. on sunday morning (...yikes), i am looking forward to a low-key few days. i've been trying to fight off the never-ending cold again this week--i've had swollen glands, a scratchy-but-not-sore throat and a stuffy-but-not-runny nose for a few days, now--so aside from an adult beverage with friends on saturday night, i'm laying low. really low. in fact, i'll probably just be laying. and maybe walking around outside for a little bit, too, because the weather is supposed to be spring-perfect.

what are your plans? i hope you are feeling spring--in weather and in spirit--wherever you are, too. xoxo!

{ photo, which i like so much, by kimicon. i feel like i know exactly the kind of night that would be had at that little cafe just by looking at it. don't you love that feeling? }

it's in the bag.

i just adore the composition of this photograph by the lovely (and irish! hooray for the irish this week) jane flanagan, and i love that the items she carries in her pretty furla bag are feminine but not overly so. "what's in your bag?" posts are some of my favorite kinds, so i'm always happy when i stumble across them. they provide such insight into the bag-carrier's personality, i think. (of course, in addition to the usual suspects--wallet, blackberry, sunglasses, keys--my bag is filled with tons of crumpled receipts, cherry chapstick, a half-eaten pack of swedish fish, gum, and the other day i pulled out a banana. yeah, i know. ask me about the time i forgot i'd stuck three cucumbers in there, though.)

irish eyes are smiling.

good morning, good morning-are you having green wednesdays? i hope so. i know i am.

my family is irish. very irish. my brother's name is patrick, for pete's sake, and my cousin gerry sings--and has sung--in irish bands for years. we're a fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked, raucous, fiercely loyal bunch, so it's no surprise that st. patrick's day is one of my favorite holidays. and even though i've never been to ireland--and was born and bred in county orange, florida (ha)--i still feel like it has a piece of my heart. (oh, and i'm going next year. not doing so is not an option.)

so, that being said, i leave you with one of my favorite things ever--this irish blessing. simple, beautiful, warm, true.

happy st. patrick's day.

may the road rise to meet you,

may the wind be always at your back,

may the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields,

and until we meet again,

may god hold you in the palm of his hand.

{ i am a little--ok, a lot--in love with this photo of o'brien's tower by stary cat. click on the link for more information about the tower and the cliffs of moher. i want to go sit on that cliff and look out at the sea and reevaluate everything. and then go have a guinness, of course. }

sometimes i believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

in love with this alice-in-wonderland-whimsical photograph by tim walker. love, love, love. (i posted another of tim's photographs here...they are magical.)

oh, and p.s.: since i skipped monday's usual "committing to..." in favor of an emotionally charged rant about music, here are my weekly goals. (a day late is better than never, right?)

this week, i'm comitting to:

+ grooming. i am in need of fresh toe- and fingernail polish. and an eyebrow wax.
+ going to bed before midnight. this is a toughie for me, but i can do it!
+ spending as much time as possible outside, in the newfound evening light. beach walks are in order.
+ finding more awesome new music. it's like an internet scavenger hunt.
+ being more patient.
+ working harder. and also, finding balance.

and you, friends? xoxo!

{ photo via all the mountains }

will you mend these wings that are flying me?

happy monday! how were your weekends--did you enjoy the extra light on sunday? my friend t.'s surprise 30th birthday party was saturday night, so it was a late evening and, needless to say, when you add in the time change, it became a really late evening. but amazingly fun, and so worth it--the look on t.'s face when she walked into a room full of friends screaming, "surprise!" was priceless and heart-warming and everything it should have been--for her and for us.

sunday brought lots of sunshine, sleep, a long walk, a cool night, and the discovery of my new favorite song (and possibly my new favorite artist): "misdirection" by sanders bohlke. i tweeted about this song last night, and you can listen to it right here--it may not be your cup of tea, but i am completely head over heels. and it's not very often that a song makes me tear up, but this one did. the sense of longing in it kills me--such a poignant, four-minute musical capture of something we've all felt our way through. the lyrics and melody remind me of nights spent lying in bed, windows open, staring at the ceiling, praying, "please don't forget about me," while a soft breeze wafts in, fluttering the curtains, and the moon beams in rays of silver light. it's an intoxicating song, truly.

anyway, listen and let me know what you think, and if you like it, try "the war," which is available on itunes. ("misdirection" will be soon, too, but for now myspace is where to go to listen to that one.)

whew, this post went in a completely different direction than i expected it to (blog posts have a mind of their own, i tell you), so i think i'll tell you my "committing to..." list tomorrow. until then, you tell me: what new music have you been enjoying lately? xoxo!

{ gorgeous image via this beautiful post on design is mine, to which my lovely friend amie tipped me off }

what are you doing this weekend?

happy friday! are you so glad it's the weekend? i know i am. and i have big plans for the weekend that i'll share with you on monday (for now, though, i'll just say that i have a very cute outfit picked out for it). and that you know it's spring when a whole bunch of celebrations (weddings, etc.) crop up. 

and speaking of celebrations, and in keeping with my commitment to a positive attitude this week, i'm leaving you with this lovely photograph. choose happiness. simple to say, not so easy to do, but worth it every time.

tell me what you're up to over the next couple of days, and i'll see you back here on monday! xoxo

{ image via mary ruffle }

color theory.

it's spring in sarasota, finally. i could feel it in the air last night: the warm breeze, the scent of the air, the light that lingered until 6 p.m. i am a girl who loves every season with an intense burning passion, and who really loves whatever season is at hand, so it's no surprise that i'm coming down with a mild case of spring fever as i type this. seriously, stick a fork in me. i'm done.

anyway, with spring (at least to me) comes bright, cheerful colors, so it's no surprise that i'm totally loving the home of former anthropologie visual manager and current room service owner danielle deboe. that couch! that pretty mantle! those pink walls! 

new goal: bring more color into my life. amen.

{ via design*sponge }

a pretty palette.

dear rachel mcadams,

words can't express how much i love this dress on you. it is beautiful. it reminds me of paintings.

that's all.

love,

megan

p.s. ok, that's not all. have you seen the new she & him video? i love!

counting steps.

when i was a little girl, my parents, brother and i would road trip to my grandparents' house in scranton, pennsylvania, every winter and summer. i loved those road trips dearly, not because i relished piling into the back of my dad's jeep with my younger brother, but because at the end of them i'd get to see my nana and grandpa jack, who i loved more than almost anything. my nana was--is--the kind of grandmother every child should have: doting, kind, loyal, unconditionally loving. she's 89 years old now, still living in scranton, and i miss her every day of my life. for me, she is and has always been a rock.

and my grandfather--oh, my grandfather. he was a brigadier general in the army, a tireless advocate of his community, an ardent volunteer, a force to be reckoned with. he was brilliant, tough, hardworking, and he expected his family and friends to give their all in everything they did--anything less was unacceptable. he also loved that family and those friends with a fierceness that i have not encountered in many people. he was inspiring.

grandpa jack passed away in april of 2008; losing him was one of the hardest experiences i've ever gone through. but i have so many wonderful memories of him, and me-and-him, and one of my favorites is counting steps. nana and grandpa lived across the street from a college that had an odd, amphitheater-like set of round steps smack in the middle of the campus, and when i was little, he'd take my hand and, slowly and carefully, we'd walk those steps up and down, counting the whole time. it was such a simple activity, but i remember it vividly: the feel of my small hand in his, the green grass, the pebbly white stone steps, the sound of his voice, the warmth of the sun on the back of my neck. 

counting steps became a tradition for us, and even towards the end of his life, grandpa jack and i would take slow walks around the college campus, always stopping to count the steps. it was an activity that was ours and ours alone; one i'll always protect and hold close to my heart. that's why, when grace posted this photo of lois keenan's sunny numbered stairs last friday, a flood of memories came rushing back. 

i smiled for the rest of the day. 

{ photo via design*sponge. read more about my wonderful grandparents here and here, if you'd like. xoxo }

the weekend + committing to...

this weekend was:

sunshine. puppies. friends (new and old). alice in wonderland with my mom and dad. brunch and mimosas with my brother. a reunion with one of my favorite people in the whole entire world. a beautiful wedding at a beautiful location. and a trip home to sarasota filled with perfect night-driving music (one of my favorite things).

and this week, i'm committing to:

+ a positive attitude
+ making some kind of pastry to give to others
+ not drinking any soda (i quit soda completely a year ago, but have been sneaking some recently. time to stop doing that)
+ talking to at least one new person
+ going to the ymca a couple of times (thank you, mom, for renewing my membership!)
+ finding beauty in the little things
+ seeking out creative inspiration

what do your weeks look like? xoxo

{ photos: a favorite breakfast spot near my parents' house; my dear friend shun and me; a pretty waterscape, also near my parents' house. a good weekend, indeed. }

what are you doing this weekend? ( + it's wedding season, kids...)

happy, happy friday! what are you doing this weekend?

in case the title of this post didn't give it away, i'm orlando-bound for a wedding. my dear, dear friend shun's sister is getting married on sunday, and i'm so happy to be invited. i'm also thrilled to get to see shun, who (heartbreakingly, for me--sob!) moved to boston in june of last year and who i don't get to see nearly enough. and i'll get to spend time with my family and puppy. big yays all around.

what are your plans? please tell--and i'll see you back here on monday (i'm committing to a new "committing to..." post right now!). have lovely, lovely march weekends, and thanks for all your sweet comments this week--i really love reading them!

p.s. on a random note, i recently finished tearing through kathryn stockett's the help (liked a whole lot, and would definitely recommend to anyone, but can't say i completely loved), and am now on the hunt for another book. any recommendations?

xoxo

{ photos by the super-talented jose villa }

all that glitters.

i'm drawn to anything that sparkles, sequins, glitters, shimmers, glimmers--you get the gist. i don't really wear a lot of sparkly things, probably because i'm afraid i can't actually pull them off, so i'm always jealous of people who do and can. that's why it's not shocking that i just love this pretty girl's outfit. the glittery top is eye-catching but not over the top; the perfect unexpected touch for a casual, daytime outfit. fashion inspiration? definitely.

{ photo via the sartorialist, of course. }

just keep me where the light is.

i am apparently all about living rooms lately, but something about the light in this photo, by ivy style 33 via sfgirlbybay, is really, really speaking to me. i'm not at what point in the day this photo was taken, and it probably comes across differently to everyone, but it--and the composition of the snapshot itself--reminds me of golden spring light, of that time in between afternoon and early evening when the possibility of what's to come at night is palpable, hanging thickly in the air. as a kid, i always hated waiting for that time to pass; i wanted whatever was happening that night to hurry up and get there, already. but as an adult--especially before a big night event--i love those minutes, those moments, of relishing the anticipation of the future.

headboard love.

this weekend, i bought some new bed linens (thank you, ikea!) that i am totally loving--they really make my bedroom look much more "26-year-old woman" and much less, um, "13-year-old girl."

however, i also have a giant wooden headboard that, when i walk into my room, makes me want to walk right back out. it's propped up against one wall because i can't decide what to do with it, and more than once i've been tempted to just haul it downstairs to the trash or donate it to goodwill.

but after i saw this gorgeous headboard in the new issue of lonny magazine, i'm inspired to give my own a fresh coat of bright white paint and see what happens. or, you know, try to find one exactly like this.

do you have a headboard? did you make or alter your own? if so, what did you do? please share!

p.s. i know i'm late to the party, but are you loving lonny as much as i am?

snow envy.

i mentioned the other day that florida has been having one of the coldest winters i can ever remember, and i've lived here for all 26 years of my life. many of you are probably rolling your eyes at this, but as someone who wears flip-flops and open-toed shoes for 90 percent of the year, i don't quite know what to do when the barometer dips below 60 for more than four days in a row. (i know, cry me a river. but hey, we get hurricanes here!)

still, i'm always a little jealous of my friends and family who live up north and who get to see snow fall and blanket the ground every winter (a white christmas is not something we get in sarasota). so when my friend susan posted these photos on facebook, i stared at them for a good long while, trying to live vicariously through her camera lens and picturing myself curled up with a blanket and some hot chocolate, staring out a big picture window at fat snowflakes falling from the sky and dusting everything with a powdered-sugar coating.