{busy busy}

Autumn flowers in New England...because I can't post without a picture.

I have six days left before I head out to SF, so I've been squeezing in every last possible thing I can! 

Seeing family,

 visiting friends,

 packing clothes,

 buying clothes,

 shipping furniture.

Saying goodbye!

I went to NYC on Wednesday to get one last haircut & highlight touch-up with my favorite stylist.

{I'm determined to stick with her! That's a good enough excuse to 

come back East every few months, right??}

Priorities, people. ;)

I've even made a last minute trip to Boston this weekend. I'm here now, actually! Seeing my sibs & dad one last time will make leaving a little easier. I can't wait to squeeze the life outta them. 

I have four months of hugs to save up! :)

I can't explain how excited I am to leave. Although it's nerve-wracking, it's just so darn exciting. Stress has not hit me yet. Let's hope it stays away!

I'll be back on Monday with some fall photos.

{diy project: beaded wrap bracelets}

This project is all thanks to my Grandma. Last week in San Francisco, to kill time when I was sick, I took up cross stitching. {I know, I know...} My aunt walked in, took one look at what I was doing, & said, "Dude. You got the Grandma crafting gene." I don't think I've heard a better compliment in my life. ;)

My Grandma is a knitter & a beader. {She's made me promise to get to her beads & yarn before her children do when she dies. Ha!} Her baby blankets are gorgeous, her hats are the warmest, and I always feel happier when I have a G-ma scarf around my neck. She recently started on a jewelry-making spree, & my favorites are these beaded wrap bracelets. I wear one every other day. She swore it was an easy project &, after I made her teach me how to make them, I can vouch for that! They are super easy & fun.

^^You can also add an end silver/gold bead & wrap the wire around that to secure everything too.^^

You can do this with any kind of bead...silver or gold wire...long or short length.  I recently made one with wooded beads & it looks adorable.

I know this isn't the most exciting project, & some of you may be thinking this is so basic, did you really need to break it down into five steps for us? But it's one of those things that's SO simple...you forget how easy it really is & never actually do it. You get me? ;) It's also just a fun rainy day activity.

Whenever someone asks me where I got them, it always feels cool to say, "I made it!" :) So...thanks for teaching me Grandma! xo.

{lively style: interview & work outfits}

This is long overdue...but I put together some colorful, stylish outfits in San Francisco, so I thought I'd do a post on interview ensembles! All of these looks can easily go from day to night, too, which is always a good thing.

{I'd like to add that these outfits may not work for every industry. I work in Advertising, which is typically a more casual environment than a corporate job. I didn't feel out of place in polka-dot pants at any of the agencies I interviewed with. Lol. They probably wouldn't fly at a bank..?}

You know you've put together the perfect outfit when it's appropriate for an interview, sophisticated enough for work, & fashionable for a night out on the town.

1. Polka Dots & Cheetah

shirt - // Atomosphere {similar}

pants // J.Crew {similar}

belt // J.Crew {similar}

necklace // India Hicks {here}

bracelet // Made by my Grandma {tutorial coming soon!} 

shoes // Aeropostale {similar}

2. Lace & Animal Print

shirt // Zara {similar}

skirt // J.Crew {similar}

booties // Amazon {similar}

necklace // A boutique in Chicago {similar}

2. Bohemian Chic

necklace // J.Crew {similar}

bracelet // Made by my Grandma

skirt // Anthropologie {here}

4. LBD {LONG black dress}

^^I'd like to note that those are the hemlines, not my bra & undergarment lines ;)

I didn't do this, but throw a blazer on & this goes way more "day".

dress // Mossimo {here}

shoes // Madewell {similar}

I have two more outfits coming later this week...but on Dylan!

{pictures from san francisco}

Like I said last week, I was SO sick the entire time I was in San Francisco. I was inside most of the time, so I barely took out my camera. {In true fashion, I OF COURSE lugged my entire camera bag there; gear & everything!} But during the three hours I toured the city, I was able to prove that I did in fact travel to California...

The weather in SF is so crazy. One neighborhood will be cloudy & overcast, & the next will be sunny & gorgeous. The photos below were taken on Baker Beach, right below the Golden Gate Bridge. Near the bridge it was sunny, but over the coast it looked like it was about to rain! It was wild to be in the center of it. There was literally a line where the weather changed.

Below are all of the photos! I Instagrammed a lot more ;)

Finally...on top of one of the many, many hills...

^^Only skyline picture I got.

Good thing I'm headed back there :)

{exciting news!}

My trip out to San Francisco was a crazy week. I was sick as a dog the whole time, so when I wasn't interviewing, I was on the couch. It was a major bummer. I didn't get to see much of the city, but that's okay. Because in a few weeks...I'll be back!

I'm officially employed!

There are a couple iconic advertising agencies that I learned about in college. Ones I've always kept up with & added to my Dream List.

I'll be working at one of my Dream agencies. In an amazing city! On an amazing team! I'm feeling so blessed & fortunate I don't really know what to do with myself.

It's been a long four months since graduation. I went on a ton of interviews, wrote so many emails, made so many calls, went back & forth from city to city...& it was all so so SO worth it.

It's scary to move across the country, away from my family & friends. I'm so sad about being so far from Dylan. Like, I've cried about that five times since yesterday.

But this is also so exciting! I can't wait to live in a new city & meet inspiring people & do work I'm proud of & be an employee of a company I really believe in.

Sooo...lot's of good stuff is happening! I'll document it all here, so keep checking back. & bear with me while I'll get into the hang of this new normal.

Thanks for all the support. xo.

{painting with a twist}

Have you ever been to Painting With A Twist? It's a BYOB painting class. You bring dinner, wine, & your friends {or just yourself} & they supply the paint & canvas. Million dollar idea, I tell ya.

I've been twice in the past two weeks.

My cousin Lindsey & her friend Avery invited me to go with them last Wednesday. We painted the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is just a stunner in person. When I walked in & saw the teacher's finished painting...I had my doubts.  Because I may be creative according to photography, design, & singing standards...but I can't paint. AT ALL. It looked so complicated & advanced! But luckily the teacher drew the most important lines on the canvas to get us going & walked us through.

Here are our finished masterpieces!

Pretty good, right? I have to say...I was impressed by all of ours!  Lindsey always says she doesn't have a creative bone in her body. I don't believe her ;)  I love how we all painted the same thing, but there are such differences in the way we executed it. As you can see, my water is much smoother that Lindsey & Avery's, who went with harsher brush strokes,...but they all look just as great!

On Sunday night I went again with my long-time BFF Kiera. I have a thing for Paris & a thing for autumn, so for the class to be named "Paris in the Fall" was a little bit like fate.

Here's the before & after!

^^We didn't have any pencil lines to help us this time!

I'm even happier with this one! I may even hang it up.

Kiera took progression photos the entire time. Let me explain something about Kiera. The girl is an ARTIST. She's always had the natural ability that I lack entirely. She was painting away & the teacher actually stopped & asked, "You know your way around a paint brush, don't you?" Uh, yeah.

These classes were the most fun I've had in a while. It's equal parts relaxing & stressful {because, as Lindsey pointed out, you go home with YOUR painting...so you want it to look good}. Sometimes you just want to do something that requires all of your focus so you can't think about anything else going on in your life. These six hours totally did that for me. I can't wait to do another one!

Check out the website to see if there's one in your area.

**Not a sponsored post; just sharing the love!

{remembering}

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

- Confucius

Today, I'm remembering this scary, confusing, unfair day.  

I'm praying for those still reeling from it, those still trying to make peace with it, those still recovering from it.

I'm praying for the millions who worked together to help us rebuild--skyscrapers, companies, strength, hope.

Most importantly, I'm praying for my good fortune of living in a country that didn't let something like this keep us on the ground.

**One of my favorite pictures of Dylan & I. Taken by my uncle.

{a little trip out west}

I left my heart in...

San Francisco!

I'm currently here for a few days. When I was here in March, I barely saw it. A family situation cut my trip short, {with good reason}, so I was only here for 48 hours. I'm excited to be back!

I won't be absent from here though; I have a few posts lined up.

This city is so amazing. The weather is already spoiling me.

Now I'm off to explore...

*photo from my trip in March.

{labor day pictures}

{note: I started this post two weeks ago! I've had to change the tense three times because I keep almost posting/not posting. It's not even that special or important. Ha!}

I went up to Boston for Labor Day. As in two weeks ago. Dylan took the train up from NY and met me, so for the first time since May all the sibs were together! It was a fun weekend. We went bowling, hit up a trampoline place, played Heads Up, & ate a lot of good food. If you've never played Heads Up...download it now! It's the best.

It was so weird being back in Boston the same day students started school! I was ON campus but not starting classes. I felt so old! {My little sister starting fourth grade wasn't helping either...ha.}

A few photos from that weekend...


1) All of us.

^^I never post pics of them. You are lucky today. 

{also, what's with that blonde streak in my hair? I don't like it.}

2) Umm...WTF? Look at my shoe compared to my brother's. YOUNGER brother, may I add. By 8 years.

^^My shoes are much cuter than they look here.

3) My BFF is now working for the same company my dad works for. I've never visited him at his office...but finally made the trip there to see her :) It was only a short lunch, but so worth it! I miss that girl lots & lots.

^^She was getting coffee here. I was getting peanut m&ms. 

I have my priorities straight. #semi-unemploymentproblems

4) You know when you're walking down the street & you see a bag or coat or dress you like & say to your sister, "I love that Louis purse" or "OMG that Burberry jacket is amaze." {Just me & Dylan or...?}  Well...my little brothers do that with Nike sneakers. Sort of the same thing, right?

They can identify every model, material, year it was made, how many were sold...every detail. It's kind of impressive? So I wasn't surprised when I turned on my camera for a photoshoot & found 250 pictures of my brother's kicks.

^^Someone stole my camera. Good thing I love him.

Okay. That's all the photos I have. Happy Monday!

{lively style: nearly neon}

1. Headband // Topshop
2. Dress // South Moon Under
3. Glow Sticks // Amazon
4. Zip Purse // Kate Spade
5. Beauty Palette // Nordstrom
6. Acrylic Painting // LanasArt