the pretty

Today being my only day off this week definitely merited some online window shopping to the usuals. By usuals I mean the "I just realized I'm broke and can't afford anything other than this" stores. Harsh realities y'all. I found a lot of patterns that spoke (sang, rather) to me, including this skirt, this Zara dress (never have I ever found something at Zara?), and this dress. Spring is coming, you guys. It's about damn time. We deserve it. I had more snow days that I've had since 2006. Many a fire were made, many a comfort foods were eaten. Christmas is a distant memory. The dresses are practically leaping out of my closet.

Aside from online window shopping, I did my fair share of Pinterest. By Pinterest I mean "staring blankly at the scrolling iPhone screen and tapping." Most inspiring and warm fuzzy generating were the ones of peonies (one of the most perfect things on this planet), and beautiful places in France, because... Hello, France. What I would give to transport to Paris right this instant and have a chocolate croissant. My local bakery just isn't cutting it anymore...

A seemingly Greek town just getting some sun. Pastel buildings, bright blue water, whitewashed everything. In reality, I have no idea what that is. All it says to me is "you belong here." I'm down...

This week also marked a week where I actually tried to start sketching again. It lasted for two days. Such is life.

But I did find some inspirations along the way. Someone I've admired from afar (in a totally uncreepy way, guys) since my brief stint on tumblr (ain't nobody got time) - bouffants & broken hearts. She definitely knows what she's doing.

Watercolor is a thing of the past for me, but maybe I'll find some inspiration once the weather warms and things start looking alive again, as opposed to crunchy, dead, withering plants. One can hope! Experimenting with sketching and watercolor could be a fun little proj to try out... The second my deck is free of clutter, dead plants, snow, and dirt, I'm absolutely sitting out there with a cold beer (or wine!) and getting some pretty things made.

To the weekend I go (actually I work tomorrow and Sunday, I don't remember what a weekend actually feels like?)!

Mild Obsession: Inspiration Wall

Slowly setting up [yet another] new desk in the house. I swear I've moved this desk around at least 3 times since moving back home, and it never fails to inspire me for one week and then it becomes just ... a place to throw things. I found that my bedroom is actually the room with the most light, and probably the room with the least amount of spiders. Therefore... office.

I have a bajilli window panels left from when I had six in the 803 apartment and think they make a cute backdrop for all my prints. By the end of the year I hope to have this wall filled with prints and cute things, inspiring images and the like. I already have my favorite editorial shot of Julia Roberts from a 2010 Elle spread framed and up.

Buying a new duvet (originally $120, bought for $20, perks of working at a retail store and catching all the final sales as they go!) really makes the room finally seem more home-y and cozy. And looks adorbs with my clearance sheets from Target last year, just saying.

I think the only full-price thing I've bought from West Elm since working there is a pillow. Yolo.

Mild Obsession: Purple Printed Ties

I have a friend named Ted. Ted is my one and only close gay guy friend, and he's a total diva slash fashionista, and I love him dearly. You can see me photographing him over at Dapperly Damned. One thing about Ted is that he fucking loves dressing preppy. It's kind of his thing. Every time he drags me into Brooks Brothers in the local outlet mall, I only have one thing to look forward to. The tables and displays of ties. Never have I ever seen a guy wear such colorful pink and purple cutesy printed ties, but they're great inspiration for color graphics, as well as prints.

Today's inspiration is brought to you by the color purple. Thank you BB!

Rambling: Designing This Blog

I am a designer.

I design everything at least 10 times before settling on even a base idea/concept. It's what we do -- we need options. We need inspiration.

The countless times I have redesigned this blog usually end the same way. I like it for a week or two, then I start to hate it. I criticize myself for how childish it is and for not challenging myself enough. Yes, I'm that girl. I'm my harshest critic.

My shift at work ended today at 3, and ever since I got home around 4 (hello northern Virginia traffic), I've made coffee, ate a lot of food, and redesigned this blog from top to bottom. The only thing that hasn't changed is the layout.

The single pink bar in the header ITSELF has been changed at least 20-30 times, trying to match the perfect shade of pink in the picture of the peonies over there -> it's that serious.

I'm a perfectionist. I have this knack for knowing when something is right or wrong. My stomach knows when something isn't right. Similar to when I was telling my ex-boyfriend about my new boyfriend and getting a pit in my stomach, thinking that my current boyfriend was about to end it. He ended it the next day.

My gut knows everything.

So, this blog is still in progress. With time I will have a concept, and a look to match it. Maybe even an improved writing style. Right now I just think I sound like a depressed sarcastic girl with no joy in her life. Seriously though, I do!

I'm not all about that, yo.

See you soon, pwp.

Love is all you need.