3 funny, inspiring videos

Happy weekend! I'm in D.C. with the girls visiting Anna, so I'm scheduling this post in advance. Want to leave you with three feel-good videos that will make you smile. So relax and enjoy! Cya next week!

This little girl is my role model! As crazy as our lives can get, positivity is a choice -- and it's fun! Take it from Jessica: "I like my hair! I like myself! I can do anything good! Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Isn't ballet just visually stunning? I love that Radiohead's Everything in Its Right Place is playing too. (via Joanna)

I saw the Harvard Sailing Team at the People's Improv Theatre this Thursday in NY, and they were as feel-good funny as they are in their wonderful videos. Such a bright and talented group!

the nail diaries: 3 months of essie!

I never, ever painted my nails until I worked on essie for a 3 month rotation this winter. Before that, I think I owned like 2 nail polishes. Suffice to say, I am now completely addicted! Would love to share with you my essie colors from those 12 weeks or 3 months (I know, I'm crazy! And Instagram just makes it easier to capture my obsession :)

Bold & Beautiful December:

Clockwise from top left:

ole caliente

apertif

luxeffects pure pearlfection + midnight cami combo

luxeffects as gold as it gets + glamour purse combo

Oh So Nude-ish January:

Clockwise from top left:

power clutch

glamour purse

fun in the gondola

master plan

Bright & Ladylike February:

Clockwise from top left:

a crewed interest

navigate her

orange it's obvious

sand tropez

What's your favorite nail color shade? Do you use essie?

contemporary art: cindy sherman

Guess whose exhibition is at the MoMA? The crazy talented Cindy Sherman, a contemporary artist who has been transforming herself into different personas for 30 years. Her portraits are so famous that one even sold for $3.9 million last year! I am in awe of the countless characters she's created -- seriously inventive and genius! Here are a few of my favorites...

You can learn more about Sherman's work via this New York Time's article. Visit her MoMa exhibit from now until mid-June to see her work up close!

friends who create

One of my priorities in my personal life is finding time for creative projects... it's just so tough to carve out the time! I've been thinking for weeks about maintaining work/life, corporate/creative balance, and was really struck by Joanna Goddard's blog post featuring this WSJ article regarding time:

Change your language. Instead of saying "I don't have time" try saying "it's not a priority," and see how that feels. Often, that's a perfectly adequate explanation. I have time to iron my sheets, I just don't want to. But other things are harder. Try it: "I'm not going to edit your résumé, sweetie, because it's not a priority." "I don't go to the doctor because my health is not a priority." If these phrases don't sit well, that's the point. Changing our language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don't like how we're spending an hour, we can choose differently.

Isn't that so true? I haven't been prioritizing these creative projects-- it's been all talk and no action. It's sad because in college, I had a whole bunch of passion projects, from writing poetry to volunteering at startups and film sets. So for much needed motivation, I reached out to some friends and asked them what they were working on....

Mary Kate paints portraits of disadvantaged kids from all around the world for The Memory Project, using her art background for good. Danny L meets regularly with his high school friends for band practice in Staten Island. Eunsan bakes. Neetu is building her fashion social enterprise startup, Revival Style. Damian volunteers at an animal shelter.

Everyone has something they care about, but it's making time for them that really counts. What are your projects that you make time for? I'm slowly filling out my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project and trying to fit in some time to volunteer.

(top photo via colormekate, bottom photos by Mary Kate)

moment in the present

Everybody take a breath. Inhaaaaale. Exhale. I know we're all busy bees, always on the go go go! Let's stay still for a moment and enjoy the present, okay? I'm liking this idea more and more, putting a pause on planning and thinking about next steps...

(photos via here)

life, lately... march already?

Yikes, how is the weekend over already? This week was a long one as I just transitioned brands (from essie to L'Oreal Paris) so this weekend was a relaxation must kind of weekend. I hung out at McNally's and read design books with Eunsan (in addition to finishing this one!), had tacos with Justin and Paul, and worked out. It was nice to just chill (even though everyone was nuts for St. Patty's, oh well). Here's some instagrams from my week...

Drinks on Friday with Sorah and Dan at Dorian Gray, a lovely low-key bar in the East Village that's decorated with frames of old men. I didn't drink (still observing lent), but we shared a delicious hummus plate & curry fries. Oh, and our check came in a book :)

Remember these crazy shoes? I broke them out this week, since it was so warm.

The flowers are starting to bloom...Spring here we come! I can't believe we're past mid-March.

Justin, Paul, and I grabbed some tacos and jarritos at Taqueria Lower East Side. Super yum, if I do say so myself.

On the way to dinner, I couldn't help taking a photo of this wall in the Lower East Side. I pass by walls like this every day and rarely stop to appreciate the details. So I'm challenging myself to capture art whenever I can -- to take my eyes away from the destination and instead, take in the whole journey. (Advice to apply in life too, me-thinks!)

Rad orange bike in the East Village, just a block away from where I live.

Coming out of the subway, I bumped into this little gem! Wisdom is everywhere.

Have a good week, friends -- hope to post more during the week and see you soon! xoxo

a sunday read

I've had a sweet spot for Audrey Hepburn ever since I spent the whole 8th grade working on a paper and presentation on her life. I watched almost all of her films (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Funny Face, and Roman Holiday are my favorites!) and read this biography to prepare. Imagine my delight to find this book at the Strand today! I'm reading it now on my couch... so far so good!

“A bonbon of a book...as well tailored as the little black dress the movie made famous.” -- New York Times

Find it here on Amazon!

bright thoughts, big city

Today was the warmest and sunniest day we've had in New York in a long time! It's been a hectic work week for me, but I managed to get some sunshine during lunchtime (along with the rest of the city, it seems) and it completely changed my attitude from stressed to calm and content. Bright and happy thoughts abound! I think it's going to get colder again, so I'm vowing to at least keep my wardrobe bright for an instant mood lifter...

PS: I'm adding colored jeans to my shopping list! These ones look so fun.

(photos via 1, 2, 3, 4)

rah rah apartment decorating!

Alex and I have been slowly but surely working on beautifying our apartment. We finally painted our living room walls a sparkling white (from an icky beige) and it looks so much improved. We're working closely to blend our styles together; she's a classic minimalist and I'm a quirky modern/antique blend, but we both love wood and pops of bright colors. And of course we both have a huge passion for design, so it has been a super cool artistic collaboration so far. We're really excited!

A few gorgeous interior design inspirations... I can't stop adding to my pinterest board!

Oh how I wish I could just crawl into these photos right now!

PS: Photos of my bedroom from this August, when we first moved in!

(via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

mini reunions in new york

I try to go back to my hometown in the suburbs of Philly once a month to visit friends and family, but it's always a treat to have the reverse too! Two weekends ago, I played host to my dear friends from high school Anna, Mary Kate, and Jillian. They've visited before and have seen the sights, so we just stayed in my downtown Manhattan neighborhood and hung out. Here's a mini recap!

Strolling and shopping through Soho...


Coffee at Grey Dog's (on 12th and University)...

A sweet snack break at the Little Cupcake Bakeshop (on Prince st)...

A few bar outings here and there...

Brunch at the Flea Market Cafe, which has a delicious & incredibly affordable brunch menu (Some of my NY friends came too!)...


Dessert at Veniero's, the best Italian pastry shop in the East Village...

A nail polish party (some things never get old!)...

A stroll through my old NYU haunts & Washington Square Park...

... and Pizza at Motorino (on 12th st & 2nd ave), which was delicious as always.

It was so great to share my NY foodie hobbies (a few of which not pictured, like mac & cheese at S'Mac) with the girls. My favorite people + my wonderful city = A seriously great weekend. I can't wait till our next reunion at the end of this month: visiting Anna in D.C!

(photos by Anna - thanks love!)

prints charming

I've wanted to buy this print in red since I first laid eyes on it a little less than a year ago, but the price was holding me back... this week, I finally took the leap! (I also saw that Joy has the sold-out neon pink version in her daughter's room, so that pretty much was the last straw.. I needed it!) I'm slowly building my art/print gallery wall, but so far only have one statement piece, this typography map of New York. It's going to feel good to add a map of Paris to the mix!

I'm also super charmed by this print I just stumbled upon, a "Map of the Open Country of a Woman's Heart" via 20x200. Call me a sap and a cheeseball, but it kinda kills me. Sentimental? Oohh yea. Too pricey for me though, at least for right now...

Any art or print purchases for you lately?

(Paris map print by Famille Summerbelle, Woman's Heart print by D.W. Kellogg & Co for 20x200)