31 March 2013

HAPPY EASTER


Happy Easter amigos!
Wishing I was at home to celebrate with my family and a big Easter brunch.
(And of course, my favorite - Peeps!)

23 March 2013

FUN IN THE SUN


It's officially spring break! I'm still in Barcelona, but since Thursday I've been in "spring break mode".  Which means that I've been celebrating with bellinis and yummy sandwiches at the beach for lunch on Friday, a delicious tapas dinner with sangria out with friends, and a to-die-for brunch this morning (also with a bellini).  Sensing a theme here?

Anyway, tomorrow morning I head to the Canary Islands for some sun, and then we're off to Mallorca for the end of the week.  I'll be back in Barcelona on Sunday - hopefully rested and tan!
Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

20 March 2013

VIGNETTES






ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE

I've been pinning away recently, filling up my boards with lovely goodies - including these darling little vignettes.  I'm a big believer that it's really the details that make the room. It makes me excited to move into my house next year at school and fill it with all sorts of fun things! 
You can get the look with some of the sweet decor items below.


clockwise from top left: ONE / TWO / THREE / FOUR / FIVE / SIX / SEVEN / EIGHT / NINE

19 March 2013

SPRINGBREAKERS



It's that time of year again - SPRING. BREAK.

Yes, we get it even here in Spain.  Technically, it's semana santa - aka Holy Week aka the week before Easter, but a week of no classes is a week of no classes, right?  I'm headed out of town Sunday, hitting up the Canary Islands, Valencia, and Mallora before making my way back to BCN.  That's right - enough of these cultural European cities.  This girl's tryna get her tan on.  

In the world inside my head, this is what I'd pack - a big tote bag and sandals to walk around town during the day, sunglasses and a bikini for the beach, and a tropical shift dress and wedges for when the sun goes down.  After all, you can only fit so much in a carry on, but when you're headed to the beach, you don't need much!

18 March 2013

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY


It is Monday, after all.

image via. quote via parks & rec.

15 March 2013

IT AIN'T EASY


This weekend is St. Paddy's Day.  (Not St. Patty's Day).  It's one of my favorite holidays, because it always seems to mark the start of Spring and pretty much all it entails is drinking lots of beer. (And also putting on lots of sunscreen, thanks to the fair skin and freckles that actually stem from my Irish heritage.)  This year, however, St. Patrick's Day is going to be a little bit different than just a giant fraternity party.

This year, I'm going to be in DUBLIN.

That's right - this girl's going to be at the heart of it all, in actual Ireland, to celebrate.  Sure, it'll be lots of American tourists, but whatever.  I'll be with a bunch of my friends (and I mean a bunch - St. Paddy's Day seems to be the Spring version of Oktoberfest for study abroad students).  I'll be rocking my green jeans.  I'll be drinking actual Guinness.  And I'll be in actual Ireland.
BAM!

For those of you significantly less cooler than me (just kidding), you can still celebrate in style.  
Check out some of these green picks to get you in the spirit for this weekend!

14 March 2013

LADY IN LEATHER


I've had a leather jacket (okay, fake leather) since about freshman or sophomore year of high school, when my fashionable mother bought it for me at Macy's.  I don't wear it that often at home because it doesn't quite fit with my preppier style, but obviously the game all changed when I came to Europe.  It's been too cold to wear it (I've been rocking either the black peacoat or the Barbour), but now the weather's getting nicer and it's the perfect thing to throw on in the morning or at night.

The only problem? It's molting.  Like, literally - the fake leather coating is peeling off at the seams and leaving behind the gross coarse gray fabric underneath.  It's nasty.  Luckily, I'm not wanting for shops - I knew between Zara, Mango, and H&M I'd find something cute and not too expensive.  So when my parents were here in Barcelona (got to milk that for all it's worth, dudes), my mom and I popped into Mango and came out with this beauty. It's soft and well-made and didn't break the bank, and it's already made its way into my daily outfits.  I'm definitely going to have to incorporate it into my outfits when I get back home as well!

13 March 2013

J. CREW LOVE


Ugh, J. Crew kills it as always.  
I would live in that skirt/t-shirt/sunnies/lipstick combo if they were in my closet.
Further proof that J.Crew is awesome: this video.
Can't decide if I love Jenna Lyons or hate her for having that many pairs of shoes.


12 March 2013

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

I had such a wonderful time in Paris this past weekend! It was my first time in the City of Lights, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.  I feel like there was so much hype about Paree that it would be a letdown, but I loved the city!

We stayed in the Hotel Du Crillon, which made me feel like a princess.  I had a big bed and a thick fluffy robe and pretended that I was there for the Ball du Crillon and was wearing a haute couture gown.  Since I had never been before, we hit all the big sights - the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, etc.  It was gorgeous on Saturday and not-so-much on Sunday, but it worked out.   I ate crepes and frogs' legs and macarons and drank lots of champagne and loved every minute of it.

My only two requests for the weekend were Laduree and Colette.  Laduree was easy enough - there was one right by our hotel, and my Mom and I stood in line for about 20 minutes to get a box, but they were worth it. I then dragged them to Colette, where I felt infinitely uncool.  My Dad felt very out of place.  Luckily, I couldn't feel too out of place because the store was less Parisians-actually-shopping and more people-from-out-of-town-who-were-dying-to-see-it.  Plus, my mom was feeling generous and bought me Carven's new perfume.  It's light and flowery and makes me feel graceful and French - an excellent souvenir, if I do say so!  Paris has definitely been the most fashionable city that I've been in.  Walking down the streets, especially on the Rue Saint-HonorĂ© where all the shops are, was like a fashion show of tall skinny girls in cool outfits.  I felt inadequate.

But it was a fabulous weekend trip and so nice to do it with my parents.  
My new goal in life: become a chic skinny French girl. ( I'll let you know how that one goes.)

louvre + lauduree by me; colette image viacarven le parfum

11 March 2013

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

ONE + TWO

Sorry for the lack of posting, but exciting things have been happening IRL, dudes!
Here's the biggest news: my parents came to Europe!  
After being in a foreign country with so many strange things and experiences for so long, it was beyond nice to see them.  I showed them around Barcelona for a few days, and then we jetted off to Paris together.  Let me tell you - after traveling as a poor college student, taking the cheapest flights and staying in hostels and packing all my belongings for a weekend in just a backpack, it was so. incredibly. nice to travel with my parents.  I'm talking nice hotel, fancy dinners, taking actual taxi cabs as opposed to public transportation - the works!  I just got back today, and it's definitely going to be a shock to reenter the real world.  Class today was brutal enough.  
Anyway, look for a post on Paris to come!

04 March 2013

PUMPED UP KICKS


Dude. Keds is absolutely killing it with the collaborations right now.  Both of these popped up in my inbox within days of each other, and now all I can think about are cute sneakers on my feet.  They're absolutely perfect for springtime ambles through the park and to the market.  For me, I think it's a tie between orange chevron and navy stripes for KS, and definitely the black and cream geometric ones from Madewell.  After all, a girl can never have too many Keds, right? Right?



THOUGHT FOR THE DAY