♥ when preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. then pack half the clothes and twice the money.

here are some of the outfits i packed for the trip!

unfortunately, i am not following susan heller's travel advice.

i think i have at least two weeks' worth of clothing packed for six days,

but as you can see, i am bringing jewelry and accessories

that will work with multiple looks!

xo

floral dress: arden b

studded belt: h & m

gold snake arm bracelet: whiting & davis

black clutch with gold hardware: micheal kors

lilac tank top: h&m

necklace: gifted

multicolored skirt: thrifted

brown leather belt: also thrifted

floral bangle: forever 21

dress: kimchi blue

sunglasses: chanel

snake arm bracelet: whiting & davis

dress: free people

floral headband: forever 21

dress: cache

snake arm bracelet: whiting & davis

♥ some people are refusing to settle for anything less than butterflies.

{source.}

there is no greater symbol of change, metamorphosis

& beautiful, boundless transformation

than the butterfly– which is precisely why

artist, paul villinski

has chosen to carve and create

flocks and flocks of winged creatures

out of the most superfluous and overly abundant

material available: crushed and crumpled aluminum cans

found scattered along the streets of new york.

taking the tenuous and harrowing lifespan of the butterfly

as a metaphor for modern human frailty

and triumph against great odds, paul has

endowed his work with brains as well as beauty.

his sculptures capture butterflies in mid flight,

beating their wings in magnificent unison

like a delicate dance along walls, ladders, beds and doorways.

i sort of wish they could leap off their wires and into my hair,

a la marie antoinette:

to get a modern version of this look,

try these fabulous butterfly offerings from whichgoose.

♥ the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

the last + first time that i used my passport

was almost four years ago when i journeyed to costa rica

with nick, his father and their family friends.

we spent the first few days in the mountains,

nestled beneath the shadows of the cloud forest and surrounded

by luscious flaura and fauna in a swiss family robinson–style lodging,

and then we travelled to the ocean, staying in a bit more lavish accomodations

for the remainder of the trip.

although i pride myself on my elephant memory,

i have to admit that by now, the names of places and people

that i met have become a complete blur to me–

what does remain is the lasting impression of a beautiful country

where butterflies streaked by like one electric flash,

and birds of all species called out to us as they soared higher

and higher over tropical trees and boundless vegetation,

where waterfalls magically flow in an endless dance,

and where people with far less than me

seemed to be a whole lot happier.

today, i will take out my passport from and dust it off,

so that nick and i may journey once again to central america

(this time to el salvador!)

to attend a very important and promisingly beautiful wedding.

i look forward to taking lots of pictures, taking time to relax with my darling

and taking it all in, so that i can come back and share my adventures with you.

♥ i'm not afraid of storms, for i'm learning to sail my ship.

rainy, drizzly and cold days like these

make me long for a ship and a star to sail her by.

paying homage to her majesty, coco chanel,

(the mother of classic nautical style)

i have put together a fashion board

that will inspire all you landlubbers

to forget the weather and

sail away with me.

hello, sailor! by Samantha Chu featuring Chanel accessories

Items in this set:

Markus Lupfer Hello Sailor mini T-shirt dress, $170

French Connection Stripe Padded Suit, $67

STRARATATA 140 SUEDE SANDALS, 595 GBP

Kate Spade - Jitney Totes Large Coal (Navy) - Bags and Luggage, $150

Charm Bracelet, $135

♥ instant gratification.

i heart these large scale compositions by

graphic designer/photographer/ polaroid afficionado,

patrick winfield.

inspired by life, death and all of the stars in between,

winfield refers to his work as a "walking perspective,"

in which viewers are able to drink in the world around them

through a completely different lens.

although the polaroid compositions are primarily configured into a forumalic grid,

the images themselves dance and play with movement and light

proving that life really is a collection of beautiful moments,

" a clustering of memories and visual experience." (source)

{check out patrick's flickr &

buy artwork on open space gallery}

♥ i'm writing you a love letter.

i am totally in love, and sort of obsessed with this

linger on love letter necklace from betsy & iya.

with valentine's day on the horizon,

what better way to be reminded of how much you are adored

than to wear the very words "i love you" around your neck

and oh so very close to your heart?

♥ the disappearing act.

i am absolutely amazed and astounded

by these fanatastic images from the february issue of

dazed & confused

featuring the over the top spring 2010 viktor & rolf collection.

aptly named "the amsterdam chain saw massacre,"

these images are styled to perfection by katie shillingford

and photographed by josh olins.

love, love, freaking love.

{spotted on yes, please mademoiselle}

♥ applause, applause. life is our cause.

help haiti print

for those of us who have yet to make a donation

to help with the ongoing crisis and devastation in haiti,

here is a perfect opportunity to give a bit of your heart,

and help others in return.

many of the lovely artists on etsy are donating

a portion or all of their proceeds to organizations like

mercycorps, doctors without borders and red cross.

purchase a gem and do your part today,

to help the victims in haiti have a better tomorrow.

hearts for haiti garland

vintage travel magnet

beeswax modelling heart set

hope for haiti ring

love sparks print

renewable heart & i love you cards

small porcelain lace bowl

much love print

and if you share with your heart

yeah, you give with your heart

what you share with the world

is what it keeps of you.

noah & the whale

Give A Little Love - Noah and ...

♥ you're on my heart just like a tattoo.

these days, it seems like anyone and everyone has a tattoo.

the above image is one that i took recently of

my mother's wrist and my uncle's forearm.

and the funny thing is that these

are not their first tattoos!

i, myself, have none!

after years of working in retail and witnessing alot of bad ink,

i have never thought of anything that truly represents me,

that i wouldn't want to scratch off a year later

after i realized how cliche it was.

if i were to ever bite the bullet and get a tattoo,

i think it would probably be something as lovely to the eye

as these ones that i found on the ever expanding

fuck yeah, tattoos!

but knowing me, the tattoo would have to be more than an image,

and i would probably want to immortalize

a few stolen stanzas or beautiful broken verses

from a poem or song that i never tire of,

like some of these that i found on

contrariwise: literary tattoos.

what does your tattoo look like?