Kitty and Buck Giveaway!

A few weeks ago, I received a really adorable package from Shell of Kitty and Buck. She's a dear bloggy friend, and I was so surprised and excited to be the winner of a recent giveaway of hers. The assortment was full of cute (kawaii!) stuff she brought back from her recent trip to Japan.




I love everything... I'm really pumped to try and put together a lolita-esque outfit to pair with those frilly socks (where would I wear this outfit??!) But I was most excited about the jelly pens and the washi tape.

Washi tape is one of those things that I've always found really cool, but never got around to buying. Those types of presents are the best... stuff you always wanted to try, but never think to buy for yourself. I started fooling around a bit with the tape, and you can see it here in action on my pinboard.




I like the tape paired with the picture of me and my friend Anne when we were ten years old. It's a picture I treasure, and I decided to add the positivity message as well... I need more of those around :)

Have an awesome day! And show yourself kindness :) xoxo

Life Moments ~ Rhode Island

Greetings!

How are things? By now, I should be just starting my descent into camp craziness. It was just a few days ago that my roomie Lynnette flew into NYC. She stayed with me for a few days, and we've had such an awesome time. She even took some style pics for me, and they came out gorgeous!

Anyway... I wanted to pop in and share a few shots/ stories from when we were in Rhode Island a few weeks ago...




As always, it was a nice reprieve from the city. In the guest room, they have this nice bed with a down topper, and a down comforter. I never want to leave it in the mornings. I melted into it each night, and forgot all about the things that have been stressing me out in the past few weeks.


They thoughtfully took us to the beach the day before we left (favorite place ever!) For the past few years, they've been going to this really cool spot, that you can only get to by four-wheeling down a sand dune. Let me just say, if you've never been four-wheeling in the dunes before, I highly recommend it! Not only are the sights and sounds enchanting, but the truck usually bounces... a lot. It almost feels like an amusement park ride :D

It was cold out that day, so I couldn't debut my new bathing suit (a polka dot Esther Williams one-piece!) I had to pile on a few towels to keep warm. Still, it was nice to see and hear the waves... something that calms me down no matter what mood I'm in.



I was unknowingly standing right next to poison ivy in this pic! Oops.



Afterwards we stopped at the Hitching Post... one of those little spots that you would never know existed if you weren't with someone local. It's known for some of the best clam fritters and New England "chowdah" around :) I remember going here when I was little.




Hope you're having a wonderful week :)) xx

So long, NYC... for now

Not-so-secret secret: I think Ariel is one awesome lady. I was working for her company this spring, and I must say, she's just the bee's knees. Funny, savvy, and started her own PR firm from scratch. I respect the hell out of her.

She also illuminated me to the existence of Vietnamese iced coffee (swoon!) It's like an iced mocha, but sooo much better. The trick is, they use sweetened condensed milk, along with traditional espresso. I've been meaning to look up a proper recipe and share it on the blog... I will one of these days!


Anyway... I'm going to miss the joys of NYC. The inspiring feeling of being around relentlessly driven people. As well as little things, like delicious beverages on demand. I'm giving it all up for the promise of bright sun, blue skies, a hundred new best friends overnight, and bringing knowledge and fun into the lives of kids. Camp life. Which is equally as great as city life, but in different ways.

I'm leaving on Sunday. One of my roomies from last year, Lynnette, will be coming into the city tonight and staying with me until we leave! After that we're gonna catch a bus uptown, which will transport all the international staff (and me) directly to the site. And what follows... Pandemonium? Heartache? Happiness? Gratification? Any combination of those things, really.


Very stream-of-conscious post... I actually only meant to write about iced coffee, haha. But I guess this is my send-off. I've got some wonderful posts lined up for you in the next few weeks, and will report back when the coast is clear :)

See you guys on the flip side! xoxo!!

Orange & Blue

Such an odd color combination, yet it works, right? Also, I love that lush green as the backdrop... so much color!




We snapped these in my parent's backyard while we were visiting a few days ago. What a relaxing time!

Not much more to say today, other than I've been keeping busy this week with packing and running errands. I leave on Sunday, and that doesn't feel like near enough time to get everything done that I had hoped to! Such is life.




One thing to note about this outfit is the sandals in these pictures. I didn't really get a good shot of them, but I love them! They're Saltwater Sandals. I'd never heard of them before, but they're pretty neato. They're well-made, cost-friendly, and you can get them wet. Supposedly, that makes them mold to your foot better. I figured they'd be perfect for camp, as we walk across a field of wet grass every day. Only problem is, I scored these ones from eBay... They're a little more worn than I'd like, but hopefully, they'll last the summer.


Hope everything is wonderful in your world. xoxo

Life Moments

Protesters in Union Square



Helloooo!!

So... it's totally been a minute since I've been around. I've been finishing up my work at Cyber PR, and am in Rhode Island at the moment- soaking up some rest time with my family. I've also been keeping busy, planning and preparing for a special summer journey... for those of you who have been around for awhile, you may remember my camp adventures from last year. For new friends of the blog, I spent two months teaching music at a summer camp outside the City. Well, I'm going away to teach there again!!

It's awesome, and I'm so happy to be going. But are some drawbacks as far as my online presence is concerned. The blog has already been pretty slow recently, which I have been sad about. But I'm hoping to do some blog planning/ organizing before I go, and still be able to keep up a posting schedule of at least 2-3 times per week! I'll also be reprising the What I Love About Me series, with some *amazing* guest posters that I'm really thrilled about!!


So... here's an updated summary that I wrote last year, of what you guys can expect when I'm gone!

~ The blog will continue to be slow for the next few months. There is limited free time, and internet access while I'm at camp. However, I'm determined to keep up with my quota of posting 2-3 times per week! A lot of magical things happen at camp, and I'm excited to be able to document and share them with you.
~ I won't be around to answer as many comments/ emails. I'm very regretful about this! I already feel like i slack off a lot in regards to comments, but my job has to come first.
~ If you've been planning on ordering a cd, you should definitely try to do so before the week is finished! I'll be bringing limited supplies with me, but if I run out, you might have to wait until August.
~ I'll be offering some sort of sponsor discount because of the lighter blogging schedule. Keep on the lookout!

This blog is something that's become so important to my life. I'll do my best to make sure things don't go totally dark around here, but my priority will be doing music/ camp stuff.


So... thanks everyone for hangin' in there with me as I go through this really challenging/ busy time in my life. To balance it out though, I have some exciting new projects in the works! I'm hoping I can talk to you/ blog about those very soon :)

Have a beautiful day!! xoxo

Summertime

photos by stephanie joondeph


Morning all! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was a full one. It usually feels like my weekends are workdays, because I have lessons and other commitments. Still, there were some happy things to be savored.

I bought a massage on Groupon a couple weeks ago, and used that first thing in the morning on Saturday! I wanted to give myself a treat because of all the craziness that's been going on in my life lately. Then I was in Union Square for awhile, taking in the sunshine, browsing stalls in the farmer's market, and running some errands. Then uptown to teach a lesson. More errands. Then home :)

Yesterday, I had a student recital! That was really cute. A little girl sang "Part of your world," and I started to cry. Then another little girl sang "I dreamed a dream" and I had to hide my tears from my guitar student, who kept looking back at me :P After the recital, I met with my amazing assistant/ intern who's been helping me with press stuff (she took these pictures!) Then I watched Game of Thrones (RED WEDDING OMG.) Then to bed.

It was nice feeling to be able to wake up at 10am this morning. I haven't slept in all weekend long. Ha!




Okay, time to talk about shoes!!

I have to say, I'm thrilled with these new ones. I haven't had a proper pair of oxfords in such a long time, and I've been needing them to finish off a great many outfits! The lovely people from The Scarpetta sent them to me as a thank you for promoting their latest store launch. I'm IN LOVE with them. Not only are they extremely comfortable, they are well made, and the leather is so soft! So pumped to wear them more often.




Today is a day off of sorts, but I am getting a hair cut, going to my vocal class, and maybe going to the market. What's your day look like today? Hope you're having a good one!

shirt & necklace- forever 21 / shorts- urban outfitters / tights- we love colors / sunnies- ebay / shoes c/o the scarpetta