we'll take this city

in the far, far reaches of my memories... back in the oh-so-distant month of June... I had the pleasure of spending my second-favourite time of year with one of my dearest friends. 

the time of course was my birthday (second favourite to Christmastime!), and as usual it was pretty much the same time as hers. her being the fantastically beautiful, kind-hearted, high-sea sailing Emily. 

we celebrated our 27th birthdays exploring the Big Apple together. I already shared pictures from my big day with you, and now I'd like to proudly present a few from the rest of Em's visit. that will pretty much catch me up on this blog, adventure-wise. uh, at least for the summer... 

we sassed it up with Lady Liberty at the Brooklyn Flea...

and stopped by The Pink Teacup for brunch, and to get out of the rain.

I had chicken and waffles! yummm.

later we got to do the most wonderful thing in the whole entire world... see Wicked! Em's first time, my fifth. gets better every time. ♥

can you believe it, she still couldn't get a cab...

Brando joined us for a day out on the town and delicious, delicious burritos at Blockheads. he likes to make faces. he's kind of a blockhead, too.

just two pals, bein' cool in New York City.

we paid a nighttime visit to the Brooklyn Bridge, to enjoy the view and do a little spontaneous yoga. like you would.

she's a beauty.

not a bad view. 

I could squish that adorable face. you don't look a day over 21. 

we spent a hot afternoon in Central Park before heading downtown for more material pursuits... mainly donuts and shopping.

this was my first visit to Chelsea Market, and I'm kind of in love. it's beautiful and full of yummy food, and I could spend all day in the flea market. I've been back a few times since then!

after the market it was pretty much a hop, skip, and a jump (or a little green elevator) to the High Line. I did not act my age and cooled my feet in the water like a toddler. the only way to live.

I know this is just a picture of local beer, but I love it. Emily took it at this amazing little Thai place we discovered because we were too lazy to walk any further away from the subway for dinner. it was a splendid evening, and also I like the lighting. so there!

can I get your hand to write on?

it's a funny thing, this business of blogging. 

not that I consider my blog in any way a business, mind you. but the whole idea of posting snippets of your personal life on the interweb is rather convoluted. 

recently I was tagged in a post by Kelly Del Valle on the process of blog writing, and it posed some questions that I found really difficult to answer! but hey, introspection can be very healthy. so I rambled on with my "answers" anyway, and now you all get to read them. 

What are you working on?

hmm, well, in terms of writing, I am currently just working on my day-to-day blogging. I've had this blog for a long time now but I really want to start taking it seriously as a creative outlet, and as potential career bait. I haven't had a writing job since graduation, so blogging is the only thing preventing my brain cells from slowly dying off (as hard as that may be to believe with the quality of the content sometimes!). I want it to be the very best representation of me that it can be.

How does your work differ from others of its genre?

honestly, I have no idea. there are millions of style/lifestyle bloggers out there who are more interesting or more fashionable or more inspiring than me. but everyone is different, right? the only answer I have to what makes my blog different is that I'm me, and everybody else isn't.

Why do you write what you do?

I started my blog because I was obsessed with fashion, then obsessed with fashion blogs, and even though I was always squeamish in front of a camera (well, after the age of six- apparently I was quite a ham as a child) the progression seemed natural. I'd had an online journal before, and I missed the catharsis and sense of creativity that came with it. basically I look at blogging as a big, digital memory box, a way for me to look back at my life, or parts of it, and really see it. I guess I write what I do to remember, and a little for self-discovery. looking back is often really helpful in planning to go forward. 

I'd like to think that what I write means something to other people; to entertain, to inspire, or identify with. but realistically I'm in this for the fun of it. :)

How does your writing process work?

again, I have no idea. I usually choose photos I want to share and see what I want to say about them. sometimes I have nothing to say. sometimes it's just a recap, or a silly little caption. right now I'm kind of struggling with inspiration and finding a voice, so my writing doesn't really have a process. I'm just trying to stick with it! 

so that's that! you're supposed to tag three people, but I'm just going to ask anyone who wants to share their answers to link to their post in the comments. it will be fun to read how other people approach blogging. cause clearly I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing, haha. 

thanks to Kelly for the tag and the post idea! 

happy blogging, pals. 

I'm the queen of nothing, I'm the king of the world

ahem. a song, for you.
(sung to the tune of My Favorite Things)

"now it is friday, the end of the week
I found things I like that you may wish too seek,
some stuff made me smile, some stuff made me sing,
here are a few of my favourite things!"

 1. I'm absolutely in love with this vintage cocktail set. gold trim, diamond patterns, an ice bucket; how debonair! //Dooley and Fritz Vintage. 

2. F. Scott is really hitting home with me these days. //via Pinterest.

3. I've never been a huge fan of sandals; season-specific shoe choices aren't worth the money in Eastern Canada or Scotland, if you ask me. but even though NYC streets are not really a place I want to expose my bare feet, I've recently been coveting the sandals of the more courageous summer girl. maybe I'll get cute pairs like these for next year? //1. H&M, 2. Topshop, 3. Seychelles, 4. Topshop. 

4. this royal blue summer dress is a stunner. //Modcloth.

5. if you're looking for ideas on what to add to your mid-summer reading list, the Man Booker Prize long list came out this week! it's always good for a suggestion (even though this year there are no Canadian works, boo), and I can personally vouch for the brilliance of Ali Smith. //The Man Booker Prize.

6. I recently discovered the delightful blog of Holly and was instantly smitten with her cute projects and demure style. I especially love this transparent clutch that she made herself- and thanks to her diy post, you can make it too! //Holly Dolly.

7. Modcloth has some dynamite home accessories lately; adorable retro decor for every room in the house. //clockwise fr. left; the goods life canister set, pleasurable planning wall calendar, collection of memories collage frame set, & revered residence wall mirror.

8. Seychelles Footwear is celebrating its 30th birthday with special edition styles, and I am dying over these new boots. the season for boots is still a ways away, but cute ankle boots work anytime of year! //Scoundrel. 

9.  don't forget, tomorrow is National Dance Day! celebrate in your own way, or learn the official dance day routine and show off your moves at Lincoln Center (amongst other places). watch a video of the two routines (I'm so uncoordinated I can't do either of them) & get more info here. 

10. even though I've been expanding my netflix horizons, I find myself always going back to old favourites. and I'm realizing that The Office is the standard by which I am judging rewatch-ability. the show is basically perfect in my eyes! I mean, you get subtle but brilliant moments of hilarity:

...heartfelt life lessons:

...and of course sex appeal:

never enough Office Love. //images via Pinterest. 

hang on every word

I haven't checked anything off my 30 Before 30 this week, but I'm working on stuff. for instance, I've started the vocabulary expansion by learning a new word: elegiac. it means to have a melancholy quality, or be wistfully mournful. isn't that a great phrase? wistfully mournful. honestly it sounds a lot nicer and more poetic than elegiac, which kind of reminds me of a yak sneezing, but hooray for synonyms! 

dress- vintage // shoes- Modcloth // necklace- Lia Sophia // bag- fr. Marrakech market

this dress is one of those items that, no matter how I wear it, never looks the way I want it to. I trot around town, imagining myself as vintage-clad, easy-breezy hipster type. but then I look at myself in pictures and it doesn't strike me as very put-together, nor very easy-breezy. yet I keep wearing it, and I'm sure I will continue to wear it, because I do love a sartorial challenge. 

I will make you flattering, dammit!

wild thing

this weekend, because we are mature, sophisticated adults, Brandon and I went to the Prospect Park Zoo. I can't resist a couple hours of cute fuzzy creatures and a walk in the sunshine. and bonus, the zoo is near the library, where one can go to get amazing chocolate chess pie. so it was a good afternoon, even for fakesies grown-ups!

the sea lions are always so awesome; I love when they do the feedings and there's tricks and jumps and they just seem so excited. it's adorable. 

I went obvious with my zoo outfit. nothing says "wild kingdom" like leopard print, right? this dress is so comfortable and easy to throw on, but I think the accessories really complete the look. the floppy hat is a statement piece, but in a neutral works with a bold print, and I like the pairing of leopard with the polka dot bag. makes things a little less serious. and even though the cassette-tape necklace gets lost in the leopard spots, it's still a cute little detail; I guess there's kind of an 80s vibe too? 

getting dressed is so much easier when your destination inspires a theme!  

dress- H&M // hat- Primark // bag- Marc by Marc Jacobs (old birthday gift) //necklace- Twisted Sisters

everything is now

OH MY GOSH HOW IS IT THE WEEKEND AGAIN?!

summer, stop! slow down, please! 

I feel like summertime is almost over and I haven't basked in its glory nearly enough. I need to eat more ice cream and watch the sunset. I need to spend more time sitting on grass. I haven't even gone swimming yet!

it's settled. I am now making it a personal priority to go to the beach once a week.

since apparently it's friday again (how does this keep happening? is this how time usually passes? really quickly and in the right order? that may be a paraphrase on a Doctor Who quote...) it's time to post my friday favourites. have fun checking them out and marvelling at the incredible shortness of life... that's what I'll be doing. 

1. Keiko Lynn is always amazingly stylish, but this look of hers really knocked it out of the park for me. love the vibrant colours of the setting, the fantastic hat, and those perfect green sandals! //Carnival Colors.

2. loving this bedding; it's chicness meets just the right amount of whimsy. //Urban Outfitters.

3. denim shirts are a wardrobe staple, and unbelievably humid summers mean I should have one in every sleeve length. right? //1. American Apparel, 2. H&M, 3. American Apparel. 

4. I'm seriously considering getting this exact hair style, colour and all. supposedly dying your hair makes it look & feel thicker, so bonus! //image via pinterest.

5. Zara is having a midsummer sale! this is what Shakespeare was thinking of when he wrote "Midsummer Night's Dream." //all Zara.

6. speaking of dreams... meet the dress I'll be wearing when I go to the Oscars as Chris Hemsworth's date. *swoon* over this absolute sartorial perfection, and Mr. Hemsworth's face, obviously. beauty is beauty, people. //Elie Saab is my hero.

7. I want to put these two prints in the spare room we've turned into my closet/dressing room. the coffee one because it's morning inspiration, the other one because it has words to live by. //My Retro Nest & Jen Oaks.

8. I've been craving statement necklaces lately; they really tie an outfit together, and are great for colour-blocking. //Modcloth, Noonday Collection, H&M. 

9. ok, I haven't even seen this yet, but it's making the list because I'm so excited, you guys. hits theatres tonight! //Wish I Was Here.