the mint green jeans

oh hey. just some vacation photos of me hanging out in my mint green [or really I think they might be teal or aqua or seafoam] pants. nice and senior picture awkward. and then I tried to climb that fence to be cute and then thought I was going to stab myself on the palm tree on the way down.

one thing I miss about my 52 weeks project from last year was constantly having decent photos of myself... maybe I need to just pick a day and go have camera playtime.

obsessed: color block nails

I've been battling incredible allergies this week on top of a nasty cold, and Wednesday I wound up staying home on the couch. I read and did some blog redesign and then of course turned to Pinterest which inspired me to try these color block nails. they were so easy, and turned out so great, that last night I spent 10 minutes rifling through my collection coming up with possible combinations. [though that could have been the cold meds fueling my enthusiasm]

I painted my nails solid with turquoise and caicos, then cut a strip of scotch tape to cover the center part of my nail. I used go overboard on the base, marshmallow on the tips, and peeled off the tape.  the marshmallow is a sheer white, so the blue came through from beneath. the colors ended up so pretty, and I love the striped look. I'm thinking a summery purple/fuschia/coral combo is next...

happy weekend!

on being seen.

I'm going through vacation photos and editing not really editing, mostly just deleting. sometimes I get a little freaky going through photos. especially when [as is the case with these vacation photos] I have not been shooting very often recently. and though part of photography is knowing which pictures not to keep, it can be rough trashing 80% of what you jut loaded. sure, they're only vacation snapshots, but how easy it is to slip back into self-criticism and doubt. delete, delete, delete. that's not very interesting. no one wants to see these. delete, delete, delete. should I even bother to post these to facebook? delete, delete, delete. I wish someone would have told me my hair was messed up. delete, delete, delete.

but then I stumble across the above.

not so much that this is some genius work of art. but Husband, he sees me. the potential that's waiting there under the surface, just waiting for me to figure myself out enough to let it thrive. he sees me, better than I see myself.

and though I might not see what he sees, I know that he sees it. this incredible, extraordinary person that I only catch glimpses of. and when you see someone seeing you like that, it's damn hard not to try and be that person they know you are.

maybe that doesn't make any sense. at the very least you can agree that when you're going through and see a shot that Husband so very obviously took, you'll burst out laughing:

more vacation shots and awkward photos of me in my mint green pants to come.

things to love

just a few things to love about this week...

1. we finally went to see the Hunger Games. I was a little put off when I finished reading the series [I didn't really like the last book] but the movie was great! they did a good job of portraying all the violence without it being too bloody. the parts they cut or changed didn't hurt the storyline. I also enjoyed having an outside perspective, instead of just Katniss' point of view.

2. wearing my mint jeans. I paired them with my chambray shirt + a skinny belt. and it made me feel like I had just stepped out of a JCrew catalog. [minus the effortlessly tousled hair... mine refuses to cooperate and just looks overworked. we can't all be perfect.]

3. new iPhone apps for editing photos. Katie always texts me when she finds something cool, and I've been loving CameraBag ever since I loaded it. they have a ton of filters and that's where all my recent polaroid-esque photos are from. I also discovered Phonto and SketchBook from this blog post. [I've recently been obsessed with this blog, if you can't tell from my pinterest boards.] Phonto is an easy to use app for adding text, and they have a TON of fonts and you can customize your colors. I used it in the first photo of my mint pants. Sketchbook is a little more complicated, but it lets you draw on photos! you have to go into layers and import a photo, then you use your finger to doodle. it takes some practice on the iPhone, but I bet it would be awesome with the iPad.

4. making steps to launching the Taiwan blog. I've been playing around with headers and finally settled on this one. I still haven't officially decided when to start blogging... does 4 months before we actually move sound ridiculous? maybe I'll wait until I'm unemployed. that would be 2.5 months before. part of me says I should stop debating and just start it already. but part of me is scared that people will get bored with me posting about home and whatnot and stop reading before I even get to Taiwan. that's something I've thought about a lot. I know I should focus on just writing. the main point of this blog is to keep people updated and to record what's happening in our lives, but I'm overly ambitious. I shouldn't be concerned with growing a large readership, but I'm vain enough to want one. I think my success with the baking blog spoiled me. since I'm giving up my food blogger niche along with my oven, I've been considering what else is out there. "lifestyle" seems to be the genre I'm falling into [which is basically what I do here, unless "iPhone nail photos, irrelevant rambles, and lengthy lists" is a genre] I suppose one way to look at it is: I'm a complicated person, with varied interests and hobbies. why should my blog be limited to one thing? and that is exactly why I've always felt weird having both this and the baking blog. I'm one person, not two. time to merge!

 5. and finally, I'm only a few hours away from officially being on vacation. Husband and I are heading down to NC to meet up with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. hopefully I'll be getting in lots of relaxing + beach time. after this I'll be swamped through my last month of work, and then packing + moving will take over my life. I also decided I'm going to reactivate facebook. [this decision was met by several cheers] hopefully I can keep the obsession to a minimum, and since I cleaned out a lot of "friends" before I left the annoyance can be [mostly] avoided. so yes, reactivating. after vacation.

mint green [or teal or seafoam or aqua] jeans

ever since I bought my red pants, I've been contemplating another colored pair. [I went so far as to buy some turquoise jeans from Target, but they were definitely a size too small and I talked myself out of keeping them just because I wanted them to fit.] mint green is all the rage right now so when the other day I stumbled across this pair at Forever 21  it seemed like fate that the TWO pairs left happened to be in my size. that never happens. so for a whopping $15.80 they came home with me. [they are sold out online of the mint but have some other great brights.]

I'm not entirely sure what the color qualifies as. the tag says mint but they're a little bold... but not blue enough for an aqua. teal? seafoam? regardless, I love the color and have already started google-ing ways to wear them. here's what I found:

stripes, obviously. navy + white, grey + white, or even multicolored. I also think these are pretty close to the color of my pants [maybe mine are a little lighter]

a neutral cream or white top. black or solid navy would work too, but the lighter colors keep it springy and fresh. also digging on the nude shoes.

a vintage tshirt. I would never wear it with that much midriff showing, but maybe a little off-the-shoulder action? I DO have an Iron Maiden concert to attend later this summer...

and finally, chambray. to me it seems the most logical thing when you're wearing colored jeans is to wear a jean-colored top, yes?

I'm so ready for spring and sunshine. the past week was gorgeous but the weekend brought in a grey and rainy cold front that looks like sticking for the next few days. no reason I can't encourage the weather along by wearing a little spring...

anthropologists anonymous

I have a problem. [admitting it is the first step right?]

I'm obsessed with Anthropologie. it started a while ago, but took off last year when I realized there was a store close enough to stop by on my lunch break. since then my closet has been accumulating Anthro. it's where I picked up my red pants, a blazer or two, and this killer dress. I try to buy "investment pieces" that are more classic than trendy so they'll last me a while, and watch for sales because it can get pricey. but usually the quality of the piece makes it worth it.

since I just finished a 2-day purge of my wardrobe [nothing from Anthro in the donation pile, sorry Princeton thrifters] I thought it would be fun to share 3 of my recent purchases, which I plan to wear on my upcoming vacation to North Carolina. if you follow me on Pinterest these probably look familiar. [my "dream closet" board has turned into more of a shopping list  / styling inspiration board. more on that later.]

first: this incredibly comfortable and versatile dress. I have another Puella maxi [navy + white stripes] I bought last spring which I absolutely adore. at first I didn't think the maxi trend would work for me but that dress changed my mind. the fabric has held up well, so I knew this basic black number would be a great investment piece. I'm picturing it with a jean jacket + scarf for travel, gold belt + chunky turquoise necklace for sightseeing or dinner. I'm definitely going to be wearing this one all summer.

I also picked up these bubblegum pink shorts. they are super soft and such a flattering length. I've been in a weird limbo with shorts since I graduated college... I'm old enough to realize short-shorts are not appropriate, but bermuda shorts make me look 4 feet tall. these are the perfect in-between. long enough to be appropriate- no cheeks showing- but not momish. [sorry to the moms out there but you know what I mean] I have a feeling these are going to be the summer equivalent to my red pants. stripes, solids, chambray... anything goes. they also have these in regular blue jean which I think I need to invest in as well. right?

and finally, since it is a beach vacation, this newsprint bikini. I fell in love the moment I saw it. a little bit of a splurge for swimwear but once I put it on I knew it was worth every penny. black and white is classic, the pattern makes it fun but not so trendy it will be out of style next year, and the yellow trim pop of color is just... perfect.

vacation is in 3 weeks so until then I'll be dreaming up outfits and keeping my fingers crossed for lots of sun. and trying to keep myself from any more shopping.

chopped.

red pants revolution

I've been doing a lot of deep thinking lately. the kind where you dive inside your brain noodles and don't surface for a while. the kind where you ask yourself the hard questions- the ones sometimes you don't ask because you're scared of the answers [even though deep down you know what the answers are, otherwise you wouldn't be avoiding the questions] but at some point you just have to man up and ask them. those kinds of conversations with yourself are hardly comfortable, but from time to time, they are necessary.

I can get why red pants might not seem to fit with the concept of mental spelunking, but they do.

red pants started to be "a thing" a few months ago. I noticed them on the internet, of course, as one of my favorite bloggers was sporting a pair. I immediately fell in love. I wanted red pants, but assumed I couldn't pull them off. they would draw too much attention. that on me, they would just look silly. I wanted red pants. I thought about how perfect they would be for the holidays. I visualized all the outfits I could make with things already hanging in my closet. I wanted red pants. but I didn't buy them.

in the past few weeks, I've been thinking. about all these things I like or enjoy doing, but never seem to advertise. about why I always try to downplay my interest in photography, or why I never talk about my blog when someone from work asks me for a recipe. about why I have two blogs, carefully separating my personal life from interfering with my cupcakes. why am I hiding the things that make me unique? why am I trying so hard to fit in?

I don't want to suppress who I am anymore, I want to express it freely. I want to embrace it. I want to advertise it. I want to celebrate it.

so, I bought red pants.

and more importantly, I wore them.

lightning strikes

still trying to get my thoughts in order. 

but until then, here are a few sources of inspiration:

this song.

these pants.

and this Mary Oliver quote:

[which has led me to discover a few incredible blogs]

week 46

how I do business casual:

essie "size matters", grey tweed dress, pattern tights