what i'm listening to... rabbit heart (raise it up) by florence + the machine

i am loving this new song from florence and the machine... such a unique sound that kind of combines qualities from some of my favorite musicians and styles.  a strong, smoky voice like adele, with electronic influences and haunting melodies reminiscent of imogen heap, a little bjork thrown in for good measure, and a quirky indie rock sound throughout.  have a listen!

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds @ papernstitch... grunge revival

{photo from tiffyd via chictopia}

check out my latest finds over at papernstitch... this one was a lot of fun for me.  it's all about a style from my youth that's making a huge comeback... grunge!

i'm curious to know, since i've been seeing this trend everywhere lately... would you wear the grunge look?  how would you make this style your own?  which pieces do you think are cool and which are just too... well, grungy for you?

xoxo,

lesley

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