♥ a ring a ding ding.

as you know, i love me a good vintage engagement ring.

these beauties from erstwhile jewelry co. make me 

want to say "i do" all over again ;)

♥ flowers & freckles.

spring is finally in full swing.

i spent my weekend soaking up 

some much needed sunshine-

how about you?

♥ happy weekend!

xoxo,

my curious cat, talula.

♥ cute overload.

dvf's second collaboration with gap kids comes out today-

and i can't help but wish:

 a) i had a child of my own- so i would have a reason to buy these 

adorable little clothes. or b) i was a child again, so i could wear them myself!

probably the latter, a little bit more. 

images via

according to dvf, this new collection is all about adventure & exploration,

with playful prints and colors that any kid (or adult) would go gaga over.

♥

(via)

reading is one of the main things i do.  reading is everything.  reading makes me

 feel i've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person.

reading makes me smarter.  reading gives me something to talk about later on.

reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder 

medicates itself.  reading is escape; it's a way to make contact

with realty after a day of making things up, and it's a way of

making contact with someone else's imagination

after a day that's all too real.  reading is grist. 

reading is bliss.

nora ephron

♥ feel the hush.

when i think of the hush puppies brand, my mind immediately conjures 

up an image of a very comfortable looking brown loafer-  but much to my surprise 

& delight, they also have a number of fashionable & functional pieces on offer.

like these candy-colored oxfords, these girly heels, these bright loafers, 

& these gold flats, which they sent me to review :)

at my old job, i could get away with commuting in flats, and switching

into sky-high heels that i could prance around on carpeted floors,

on the rare occasion when i had to get up from my desk- but my

new job at forever 21 requires to be on my feet all. day. long.

while i do love the job, my feet have suffered for it. and for this reason, 

i am constantly on the hunt for a pair of ballet flats that are as cute as 

they are comfortable. and that magically match with every dress

i pair them with. not too much to ask for, right??

(cue angels singing.)

i think i have found my sole mates. 

thank you, hush puppies.

♥ ensemble cast.

this weekend, i watched the grass is greener (1960) and fell in love

with the eccentric ensembles worn by actress, jean simmons,

throughout this  risque romantic comedy.

the hats, the headpieces, the cleopatra-esque eye makeup,

the drawn in mole and the clip-on style earrings are too good.

 but my favorite is this pink & orange dress....

.

... which magically has a balloon style front & matching pants down below.

have you ever seen anything like it in all your life?

i thought not.

even her undergarments were cute!

♥ boston.

there are really no words for how heartbroken i feel about the tragic events

that took place in boston this week- so for lack of better language,

i will leave you with some pictures i took not too long ago-

but long enough to look back and feel nostalgic

for my once-innocent city.

may there be better days to come.

♥ create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others. ~orson welles.

as someone who spends her days in vintage dresses,

i am completely smitten with this self-described, "sophisti-crazy" 

style blogger, jessica of vintage virgin.

i love her eclectic mix of old & new pieces and the way

she takes the latest trends and makes them her own.

♥ i don't think you're ready for this jelly.

melissa shoes is doing a collaboration with forevs,

aptly named mel for forever 21.

though not available in stores until april 26th-

they are already online! i can't wait to see these

yummy-colored jelly sandals in person :)

♥ as long as i got my suit & tie.

my new favorite tumblr would definitely have to be what ali wore.

 photographer zoe spawton is a melbourne-born photographer currently

living &working in berlin. she noticed ali walking by the restaurant 

that she works at every morning at 9:05 am- in the spiffiest of suits. 

(he works as a tailor, after working most of his life as a doctor!)

with her very limited german and his equally broken english, 

they have managed to become friends, and he has given her permission

to take his picture every chance she gets. according to the blog,

he has 18 children and owns over 80 suits!

( spotted first on advanced style. )

♥ thirty, flirty and thriving.

the contents of karin's occupy 30 goodie bag.

this year, i and a number of my closest friends will turn 30.
while some of my dear friends feel that it is a sincere privilege to age,
others are treating it as a deadline of sorts.

when i asked my cousin, jaimee about how she felt when she turned 30 last year,
i inquired whether or not she felt a certain pressure to get her life in order,
or if she felt just the same. she answered that she didn't know how she
 should feel, and i have to say, i agree with her.

30 looks alot different these days than it did years ago.

when my mom was 30, she had already been married five years,
 had three kids & a house. most of my friends don't own anything more than
a car. they still rent or live at home with their parents, so they can save.
a few of them have children- but some see babies on the horizon without
even the steadiness of a relationship to make it happen any time soon.
 some have fulfilling careers, others are still in school, and some have ditched
their jobs and switched to something completely different.

while i am trying to shake the stigma of getting older (did you see tyra banks nick-
named one of her models 30never on ANTM?) and the expectations that go along
 with it--people like my friend, karin, are taking 30 by the horns
 and making something fun out of it.

in honor of her 30th birthday, karin started a blog with a list of thirty things
(simple and outlandish) that she would like to do this year. we met in college and
she was the editor of our college newspaper, the wheaton wire! as you might imagine,
 her writing is accessible & honest- and really funny. she is a unique individual,
with a terrific writing voice- i just had to share her with you.

here is a small passage by karin to get you better acquainted:

i've always wanted to write a blog. i should have written one while i was living
 in germany. but it seemed a bit "been there, done that." and after so many years 
i didn't have anything new to contribute ... or a reason for the blog.
 i wanted one that was more structured with a purpose of sorts. a goal-
 but also flexible enough that i could write about my life. 

so it seemed like fate that i would be turning 30 and moving back
 to the united states after seven years in germany. perfect combination of re-
entering the american life and giving the blog a direction with an end goal.

it's a bucket list of sorts; some of the things i had planned to do this year; 
some are things i always wanted to do, and some i came up with two days before
 the end of last year. the order is pretty arbitrary. right now i am looking forward
 to riding the cannonball at canobie lake park (no. 9). as child i was terrified of 
roller coasters, but now i love them. i'm probably most scared of ice skating (no.4)
 again. it's just so hard for me. i am paralyzed by fear. maybe it's because i 
sometimes have no sense of balance or my weak ankles, but i am absolutely terrified 
to skate or move once i have the skates on. i just stand there; gripping the
 side of the rink. i won't even join the congo line. 

but it's on the list, so it will get done. 
like everything else. it's part of becoming a grown-up. 
i'll be thinking that when i stuff 30 one dollar bills 
down a male stripper's thong (no. 8).