♥ crappy phone pictures of beautiful fashion photography.

last night i went to the reception for martini's latest exhibit of her favorite 

blog photos, to the nines, running until april 20th at the

boston center for adult education. 

like her blog, the gallery of photographs was beautiful and 

well-edited and a true reflection of the sheer joy that martini gets

from marrying her two passions: fashion & photography.

LOVE!!

♥ karma chameleon.

recently, julianne moore has been receiving accolades for her

pitch-perfect portrayal of sarah palin in the hbo film, game change (2012).

and similarly, a few years ago, the chameleon-esque actress posed 

as some of art history's most famous ladies 

in an article in harper's bazaar. love!!

via flavorwire.

♥ heart of glass.

via etsy shop, sarahdeee

"some words from old books, forever safe inside tiny glass cases"

love.

♥ gpombnw.

gratuitous picture of my baby niece wednesday.

♥ the silver lining.

now that the weather has reverted back to its regular scheduled freezing-ness,

i have been counting my blessings that i didn't pack my down comforters and faux fur coats

away prematurely, and also falling head over heels for jcrew's fall 2012 collection.

the unexpected mixture of sweater + glamour, stripe + sparkle, exotic + nautical

make me actually want to celebrate the remaining weeks of cold weather 

and perhaps try to replicate some of these looks?

♥ wink wink.

slightly obsessed with periwinkle nailpolish right now.

it's like having springtime right at your fingertips.

lapiz of luxury

periwinkle pout

secret periwinkle

i know what boys like

blueberry

♥ spring sprang sprung.

via oh deer

this print is especially true for this spring-

where every tree is festooned with flowers 

before the season has even begun.

♥

sweet spring is your 

time is my time is our 

time for springtime is lovetime 

and viva sweet love 

(all the merry little birds are 

flying in the floating in the 

very spirits singing in 

are winging in the blossoming) 

lovers go and lovers come 

awandering awondering 

but any two are perfectly 

alone there's nobody else alive 

(such a sky and such a sun 

i never knew and neither did you 

and everybody never breathed 

quite so many kinds of yes) 

not a tree can count his leaves 

each herself by opening 

but shining who by thousands mean 

only one amazing thing 

(secretly adoring shyly 

tiny winging darting floating 

merry in the blossoming 

always joyful selves are singing) 

sweet spring is your 

time is my time is our 

time for springtime is lovetime 

and viva sweet love

― ee cummings.

♥ spring awakening.

spring has sprung, my darlings

and this harper's bazaar korea march 2012 editorial 

has me pining for some pretty prints!

♥

i rarely feel so under the weather that i forget to blog, 

forget to eat dinner and forget to wake up from a 12-hour nap.

so in lieu of my whine-inducing ickiness, here is a beautiful distraction.

i call her talula.

♥ i dare you to move.

while cleaning out one of our many overly-stacked book cases,

i came across this mysterious looking leatherbound tome with the words

"i dare you!" written across them.  intrigued, i turned to nick and asked him 

where he found such a neat looking book and why haven't i noticed it before, ever?

he claims he never saw this book in his life.

interesting.. because neither had i....

so, where was it from and why is it here 

and what is it dauntingly daring me to do?????

there was no better way to get to the bottom of it than to read the damn book.

published in the late 40's, this little work is actually  filled with lots of practical advice 

to help every reader dare to follow his/her dreams and live the life they imagined.

here's what i learned:

i want thoroughly to fix in your mind that life is a four-sided affair-

that your daring program is going to lead you into physical adventures,

 mental adventures, social adventures, spiritual adventures. you have not one, but four

lives to live- a four fold opportunity to grow. a body, a brain, a heart and a soul-

these are our living tools. to use them is not a task, it is a golden opportunity.

to find new capacities within you is not robbing you of any pleasure.

it is bringing new treasures into every waking hour.

here is another interesting thing. the more you pour out, 

the more you find to pour. the more of life's treasures you keep for yourself,

the less you have. the more you share with others, the more you have yourself.

our most valuable possessions are those which can be shared without lessening; 

those which when shared can multiply. our least valuable possessions are those

which when divided are diminished.

health is the foundation for individual success.

i have suggested a few things which have helped me physically during my lifetime.

all are simple rules, easy to carry out, and have been the powerful contributing

factors to the splendid health which i have always enjoyed. eight hour's sleep.

open windows. regular daily exercise, morning and night. eat the things that 

agree with me- but not overeat. walk my mile a day. open air every afternoon

time and on vacations. plenty of sunshine. practice simple rules of posture which 

make me feel better; besides, the man who walks straight and sits straight, i believe

thinks straight.

physical life brings happiness but mental life brings interest.

how i pity that person, young or old, who cannot shut out  the world,

open a book and go forth on an adventure of romance,

travel, biography, history or business.

dare to live in the presence of the best. 

try for one week to lead a distinguished life, surrounding

yourself with the very best the world has to offer. read an excellent poem.

begin the biography of a distinguished man. study a painting by an old master.

hear a best victrola record. listen to a classical radio program or a symphony.

hear a stirring speaker. meet an inspiring personality. see a sunrise and a sunset.

strive to crowd out of your life unworthy thoughts, unworthy acts, unworthy contacts.

just see what would happen if, for a solid week, you fill your life only with the best!

the very best in literature, the very best in art, the very best in nature.

if only we would surround ourselves with the world's excellence,

 we would live like kings!

make a program that will be satisfied with nothing less than 

your own self at your very best all the time.

♥ music is love in search of a word.

when nick and i first heard beach house's album, devotion, 

we fell instantly in love. the music is haunting and lead singer 

victoria legrand's voice is as ethereal and enchanting as a siren.

and while we weren't the biggest fans of their next album, teen dream,

(sorry!) we have very high hopes for their upcoming work-

  bloom, which is due out in may.

just listen to their first track, myth:

on top of that, aren't they so cool looking? 

♥ girls and boys.

as a freshman in college, i took a class that introduced me to the study of popular culture.

and while at the time i strongly believed i had a handle on the way media worked-

what it ended up doing was challenging everything i ever thought i knew about

 "the way things are," especially when it comes to gender.

i remember being in class, saying,

"but i like barbies and mall madness and romance comedies because that's who i am"

and feeling pretty darn stupid when i learned otherwise.

in an effort to understand why her daughter would only wear pink and play with pink toys,

artist jeongmee yoon started a photo series called the pink & blue project to capture what 

seems to be a universal trend of associating blue with boys and pink with girls.

originally spotted here. 

also, read a marvelous response to raising girls and the whole 

pink princess phenomenon on pacing the panic room.

♥ cry baby.

last weekend, as my mother and sister and i rode the elevator up

to the maternity floor of the hospital to await the birth of my baby niece,

my mom turned excitedly to me and asked, "are you going to cry??"

i looked at her and answered, "i don't really plan if i am going to cry or not." 

truth be told- i am not much of a crier. 

i am an emotional person, but i don't necessarily cry at the drop of a hat.

if i were a cry baby-- then this amazing new product that i just received from

in the mail from the lovely PR team at anastasia, would realllly come in handy.

set to hit sephora in may 2012, anastasia's brilliant waterproof top coat,

lash genius, creates a light and rejuvenating coat over already mascara-covered

lashes. unlike any product on the market today- lash genius keeps eyelashes

fresh (not flaky!) all day long and protects lashes from the elements as
 well as the unexpected tears of joy that may fall
without even planning them. 

ps. isn't their marketing so fun??

pps. read my review of anasatia's beauty express eye brow kit!