Monday, October 6, 2014

Mini Monday: A Quick Morning PickMeUp

Mini blog post time!

How to make your morning commute a little better: cut up some fruit (or pick grapes off the stem) and put in a cup. Snack as you drive. A little natural sugar and a bit of hydration can go a long way at 7am.



NOTE: obviously driving should be your #1 priority whilst driving. Only snack on things that you don't need two hands to eat, or that require you to look down to pick up and eat. Fruit that doesn't drip or squish is also a good idea - don't want to stain that cute outfit!

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

How To: Cheap and Easy Vanity Table DIY

This little pseudo-vanity table is one of my favorite parts of my tiny little room. Most pre-built vanities I looked at were insanely expensive... Come on, we've all drooled over them on Pinterest - you know what I'm talking about. As a recent grad, it was a bit (read: WAY) out of my budget to spend more on what is essentially a table with some built-in drawers and a mirror than I do on my monthly car payment.

And then I realized wait, it's a table with some built-in drawers and a mirror. I can totally make that. Or at least fake it. Et voila!


Table: $5 at a sample sale (it's seriously 3 pieces of wood glued/screwed together, ultra easy to DIY)
Gold box: $2 also from sample sale (again, spray paint a cheap Joanns tray for another easy DIY)
Mirror: reused from this home DIY from my last apartment
Plastic drawers: Target for like $15 bucks
Chair: "gifted" from my dad - go thrift one that fits your table for super cheap!


The gold tray on top of the drawers holds all of the things I use daily: face lotion, eye cream, body lotion, deodorant, perfume, etc. My hair tools, make up, and masques/specialty lotions/etc live in the drawers.


Yes, the plastic drawers are a tad janky and should probably be replaced with some decent looking ones (or painted/have a cool scrapbook paper makeover!). Yes, it's not very ornate and the chair doesn't "match". But it's got plenty of natural light, more than enough storage, outlets to plug in my hair dryer/curler, and cost like 40 bucks! I'll take it!


And yes, that "hand of God" pencil drawing is there to stay (it's actually a pencil study that a right handed art student did of his left hand lying on the table). I weirdly love its creepiness.


Gratuitous selfie... Yes I'm way pale, and no my hair is so not really that dark...


Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday Favorites

Sidebar: what is it with bloggers and title alliteration? Suckers for cheese I suppose.

Anyways, this is probably the biggest blogger-cliche of all time, but I've recently been crushing HARD on two Instagram feeds and thought I'd share the awesome.

First up? @thedogist with his PUPPIES!!!!! And by puppies I mean beautifully photographed dogs around the world, some up for adoption, some missing limbs or traditional cuteness factors, but all so full of personality and life. I've followed "dog a day" type accounts before but these little guys are in an insta-class of their own (see? Hardcore cheesin').

This mean muggin fellow's name is Jesus. I like to think it's pronounced Hay-sus.

Pixel. The most aptly named dog EVER.

DAT FACE!

The phrase "I can't even..." has never been more appropriate.

And secondly, this gorgeous gal, @dinatokio. Each blogger has their own unique style, yes, but this darling is so genuinely refreshing. Modest, yes, but an absolute inspiration in a sea full of half-naked-on-a-beach-cause-this-swimwear-company-sent-me-here-to-take-Instagram-photos photos. She keeps sneak-peeking a collection she designed too (see the second photo), which I'm very excited to see!

SUCH SASS. And I would totally borrow those glasses and never return them.

Dress. Jeans and heels. City. All of it. Yes.

I would wear this everyday and sometimes to sleep

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

#WCW: OutrageousBabes

One of the people I've had the privilege of meeting since moving to Columbus has been this beautiful and ultra mega talented babe, Jordana. In addition to having travelled and lived all over the world (India and Jordan just to name two of her previous homes), she makes stuff. Awesome stuff. Like floral crowns and clothes and art displays.


She invited a group of friends over to shoot for a flowercrown lookbook a while back, that was so much fun, I just had to share. She brought over suitcases full of lacy tops and flowy dresses, did our makeup, and we basically played dress up for a couple hours in my backyard. Always so much fun hanging with these beautiful ladies!


Want to see more?? Her crowns were recently featured in a beautiful piece by SHK Magazine, and she's constantly posting gorgeous new pieces to her Instagram page! Want to get your own? Head on over to her Etsy page!


Note: most photos courtesy of her Instagram @outrageousbabes!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Liz Lately

It's been exactly a year since I openly admitted to being a terrible blogger. Thought I'd renew the sentiment by restarting this thing. Welcome to my new life in Columbus!

We have some pretty sweet coffee shops here. This is important in any good city.

Accidental coordination and ugly toes. Columbus has some sweet parks too.

And this is where I get to work now. Or rather, between my buildings at work.

My house and "yard" is the shiz. I spend a lot of time out here now.

I grew some mutha flippin tomatoes.

I also wore some clothes that I liked. Like this CAPTAIN shirt and my sweet new thrifted boots.

Very excited to have Glamour mag validate my all-white outfit decision.

SHAMELESS SELFIE. I liked my hair, okay?

Also finally discovered Sephora. Have significantly less $ in my bank account.



Okay unnecessary inundation over. Get ready folks <3

Thursday, April 3, 2014

On When To Say No

A month ago, a friend asked me to submit my resume to his company, which I did, not thinking much would come of it. Ten days ago, I was given a job offer. And over the course of these past ten days, there's been cheesy motivational posters and blog posts and TED talks and "two paths diverged in the woods" and wonderful, beautiful, heartfelt (and if I'm being honest, tear-jerking) advice from my dear friends, mostly saying the same thing: take a leap of faith! Just do it! Be afraid and do it anyways! You'll regret what you don't do more than what you do!

But I couldn't help but think - what if "do" is deciding to do nothing? What if "do" is saying no? What if the scarier thing is not to take that leap? And worse, what if "do" is seeing an unexpected opportunity fall into your lap, and making the decision to leave it?

Some of me argues that I should take it. It's a great career move, it's very slightly higher take-home pay, and it's closer to many of my college friends. I'm afraid that rejecting this offer would mean I'll be seen as unambitious, or lazy, or afraid, or making a mistake, or be letting people down, like I'm settling. I'm afraid of going against most of the advice that's been offered me the last ten days. It's a great job with many opportunities, there's really no denying that. But at the end of the day, I just don't want to go. And I think the people who know me best both sense and understand that.

I've always had to leap at opportunities like this in the past because of circumstance - I needed a job, any job and so had to take an opportunity when it came. But now I'm in a place and position and circumstances where I don't have to. I have a job. In fact I just started a new position barely two months ago at a huge company, I am finally starting to "bond" with my bizarre little city and although I'm not rolling in the dough, I can finally pay my own bills.

I like where I am, right now. I might not like it six months from now, but it's not six months from now yet. Right now, if I stay, it's because I've consciously chosen to do so. It opens up the world of being able to choose - I chose to stay, therefor I can also choose to leave when that time comes.

The past ten days have been unbelievably and indescribably difficult for me. I've literally given myself migraines trying to rationalize taking either option. Every time I thought I was close to deciding, my brain went AH NO BUT WAIT and started to swing back the other way. There's two radically different paths in front of me, and I saw happiness down both of them. I really really hate "no take back" decisions like this. But for the first time potentially ever, it is fully a choice, and I'm choosing to look at it like that knowing that there will be more choices like this down the road, both more and less difficult and life-changing. There will be more jobs, and ones I fall in love with, and ones that feel right, and ones that are too good to pass up.

Am I thinking about all this just way too much? Am I still mildly terrified that I'm making the "wrong" choice or that I'll regret it in six months? Yes on all accounts, but it's silly to be paralyzed with fear of something that I can neither predict with any accuracy, nor control the outcome of. I only know my gut and what I think is "right" for me, right now.

So for now, I'm staying.

p.s. I am utterly incapable of expressing how much I appreciate all of the care and kindness my friends near and far have shown me the last couple weeks, and for the advice from so many unexpected places. Truly, thank you. And come visit me sometime! <3