i've been tagged!

{test print gift tags, available in my etsy shop}

today i've been tagged by the lovely jess gonacha... i'm sure by now you've seen her amazing blog, treasuring, and her etsy shop.  she is an amazingly talented and sweet lady, and i really enjoyed reading her answers.  now it's my turn!  here goes...

What is your current obsession?
paris.  and shoes.

What is your weirdest obsession?
i can't have any trash or clutter (straw wrappers, empty sugar packets, etc.) on the table while i'm eating at a restaurant.  my family and friends know this and they drive me crazy with it!

What are you wearing today?
yoga pants and a purple tank (so funny, jess was wearing yoga pants too)

What's for dinner?
all i know is that it involves sweet corn on the cob!

What would you eat for your last meal?
this is a tough one... maybe an assortment of tapas from my favorite place down in maryland, jaleo.  to drink, bonsai martinis from buddakan, and for dessert, my dad's sour cream cake.

What's the last thing you bought?
toothpaste and trash bags... my life is so glamorous!

What are you listening to right now?
pandora

What is your favorite ice-cream flavour?
mint chocolate chip or coffee heath bar

What do you think of the person(s) who tagged you?
like i said, she is an amazingly talented lady, and she is one of the nicest people i've "met" in the blogosphere!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
see question number one.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
bali

Which language do you want to learn?
italian... i think it sounds incredibly beautiful, and it just feels right to me.

What's your favorite quote (for now)?
"do i contradict myself? very well, then i contradict myself, i am large, i contain multitudes." 
- walt whitman

What is your favorite colour?
this is really hard... i really like color!  right now i tend to gravitate toward shades of pink, aqua, grey, and cream.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
at the moment... simple, striped t-shirts

What is your dream job?
artist, travel show host, or singer :)

What is your worst habit?
procrastinating... a lot.

If you had £100 now, what would you spend it on?
shoes from topshop!  maybe these... or these... or these!

Do you admire any one's style?
charlotte gainsbourg, random people on chictopia!

Describe your personal style?
i love fashion, but i also like to be comfortable.  normally i'll just wear jeans and a cute top, and make it interesting with shoes, jewelry, and accessories.  i really like clothes and accessories with a vintage look, and simple garments with interesting, unique details.

What are you going to do after this?

get to work...

What are your favourite movies?
amelie, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, wet hot american summer.

What is your favorite fruit?
strawberries

What inspires you?
nature, technology, art, fashion, honesty, old stuff, stuff that is ignored, stuff that has never been done before.

Your favorite book ?
everything is illuminated by jonathan safran foer, the hours by michael cunningham, the wonderful story of henry sugar and six more by roald dahl (trust me on this one).

Do you collect something ?

vintage fabrics and lace trims, silhouettes, etsy art!

What is your favourite smell?

the smell of clean laundry wafting up onto the street from someone's basement on a cold night in the city :)

now it's your turn! i'm tagging eight fabulous people who recently commented on my blog:

amanda

christina

mayra

amy

leigh

erin

jen

danielle

here are the rules:

1. respond and rework; answer the question on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add more one question of your own.

2. tag eight other people

have fun!

xoxo,

lesley

apartment featured on made by girl!

i have been putting a ton of work into making my apartment a bright and happy place to live, so i was thrilled when jennifer of made by girl said she wanted to feature it on her blog (one of my faves)!  

head over to made by girl now to see a home tour with a bunch of photos i haven't posted here.  thanks so much jen!

xoxo,

lesley

street style @ chictopia

i just discovered chictopia... an amazing website for fashion addicts like myself to upload and browse pictures of outfits, chat about the latest trends, and shop for looks based on your body type and personal style.  

my favorite part about the website is looking through all of the amazing street style photos uploaded by users... i'm a bit too shy to upload photos of my own outfits, but i love getting inspired by others!  here are some of my latest favorites.

xoxo,

lesley

custom made shoes by hetty rose

umm, i'm pretty sure i need these.  they are the most amazing shoes ever, custom made to fit your foot perfectly, from buttery leather and scraps of vintage kimono fabric.  now... does anyone have around $500 i can borrow?

xoxo,

lesley

flickr favorites... candy colors

1. sadalit  2. lieveling  3. fabienne lin  4. chutes and ladders  

5. all those threes  6. december sun  7. daffydil  8. melissa millage  

9. jmvnoos  10. farl  11. michelle in ireland  12. spindelicious  

13. saroona  14. robert in toronto  15. .robbie  16. joseph robertson

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds @ papernstitch... vintage lace

my weekly installment of fashion finds just went up over at the papernstitch blog.  this week's theme... vintage lace.  these might be my favorite finds yet, you definitely have to check them out!

xoxo,

lesley

gorgeous photos from vogue italia

i came across these amazing photos by craig mcdean for vogue italia yesterday, and i can't stop thinking about them.  they are so haunting, and kind of creepy, but so, so beautiful at the same time.  see the other photos in the set here.

xoxo,

lesley

custom couple portraits

how adorable is this couple portrait by merrilee liddiard?  custom portraits are available in her etsy shop, tuesday mourning (along with some really cute prints and custom invitations).  it's a relatively new shop, but definitely one to watch!  merrilee also has a gorgeous and inspiring blog called mer mag.

xoxo,

lesley

i got mail!

pretty little theives, originally uploaded by 315 thomas.

i was so excited to receive my latest purchase from pretty little theives, aka nancy mungcal... an original drawing (part of nancy's drawing for a cure project... proceeds benefit the leukemia and lymphoma society), a free print, and a sweet handwritten note from nancy. love!

xoxo,
lesley

this is where i'll be in four months...

my husband and i rented this adorable studio apartment on the ile saint louis (on the top floor of a six-story walk up... the owners advertised it as "free exercise"... haha!) for twelve days in september.  paris, here we come!

i seriously cannot wait.  last time robin and i attempted a paris trip together, it didn't work out exactly as planned... he had planned on proposing to me there, but i ended up getting horribly sick and spent most of the time in bed.  tragic, i know... so we owe ourselves a do-over!

my parents got me a bunch of amazing paris guide books for my birthday (including this and this), so i've got some serious reading to do before then.  i want to make sure that this time around, we don't miss out on anything!

xoxo,

lesley

p.s. we're also planning on taking side trips to brussels and amsterdam, so if you have any suggestions on what to do in either of those places, let me know!

studio art wall

finally got around to hanging artwork in my studio... i love how it turned out!

xoxo,

lesley

happy birthday to me!

{thanks for remembering, etsy!}

today is my 25th birthday!  with a big move, a new place, and a lot of improvements in my personal life, i feel like last year was one of the best i've had so far, and i'm really looking forward to seeing what 25 has in store for me.

this past weekend i had a super fun party (featuring karaoke, amazing mexican food, and lots of margaritas!) with some great friends and family, and tonight i'm celebrating again with a fun dinner and trivia night at the pop shop.  so far, 25 is pretty spectacular!

xoxo,

lesley

p.s. check out my birthday-themed fashion finds at papernstitch today at 2 p.m. eastern!

advice from the positivity blog

if you've been feeling discouraged, or unmotivated, or just not sure quite which direction to take... have a look at this article from the positivity blog, called the wisdom of the old greeks: 7 timeless fundamentals.

the author starts the article by writing:

"Obviously, old greeks like Plato, Epictetus and Aristotle were really sharp. And what they talked about over 2000 years ago is just as relevant and useful today. Our outer circumstances may have changed dramatically over the last few thousands of years, but on the inside we seem to have stayed pretty much the same in many ways."

he goes on to share some really great, truly timeless ideas about how to live your life and keep a positive attitude.  i'm definitely bookmarking this one for those times when i feel unsure of myself.

xoxo,

lesley

pretty little theives... drawing for a cure

i found this today via pikaland, and i just had to repost it over here.  nancy mungcal, the amazingly talented artist behind pretty little theives, is offering original drawings in her etsy shop for $15.  as if that wasn't good enough, she is donating $10 from each sale to the leukemia and lymphoma society.  

the father of one of nancy's good friends recently passed away from acute monocytic leukemia, and nancy has pledged to do whatever she can to help find a cure.  i was already a huge fan of nancy's work, and this just makes me love her that much more.  what an amazing cause, and a truly amazing friendship!

click here to see nancy's drawing for a cure pieces on etsy.  i just picked up the piece shown above this morning... i can't wait to see it in person.  great art for a great cause... what are you waiting for?

xoxo,

lesley

etsy finds... brooklyn rehab

i just stumbled across this little shop the other day, and i am smitten.  brooklyn rehab sells handmade, vintage, and reclaimed found objects.  from jewelry and housewares to vintage postcards and hand written love notes... everything is perfect!

xoxo,

lesley

flickr favorites... camilla engman

camilla engman is an amazing, multi-talented artist from sweden.  every single image in her photostream is magnetic and beautiful.

for more gorgeousness, check out camilla's website and blog.

xoxo,

lesley

my latest obsession... paper cut paris map

i just discovered this paper cut paris map from famille summerbelle, and i am absolutely smitten.  ever since my first visit, i have been 100% paris-obsessed, and i would love to have this little gem framed on my wall.  keeping my fingers crossed that it will be for sale in their shop soon!

xoxo,

lesley

more fashion finds!

new fashion finds over at papernstitch today... back in black!  and in case you missed last week's post, here it is... tribal rhythm.

xoxo,

lesley