fashion inspiration: sariah

i am completely in love with every dress in the sariah fall 09 collection.

feminine silhouettes, bold colors, patterns, and texture galore!

i am desperately awaiting fall so that i can pull out my bright tights once more.

all images courtesy of sariah nyc

and what about you, lovely readers?

where are you looking for fall inspiration?

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adorable doodles {and such}

i adore these little birdie doodles by the talented kate wilson

shoes and birds ensemble? yes, please.

for more great doodles, check out her portfolio.

xoxo

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schoolhouse rocks

tree lover graphite pencils from see jane work

it's that time of year again when my life gets lost in the world of academia,

when reading textbooks takes priority over reading novels,

saturdays are spent at coffee shops with notebooks instead of girlfriends,

and a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils adorns my desk.

among my favorite things about the return to academia

is the search for office supplies.

{everything from notebooks and binders to desk organization}

here are some of my favorites for this school season.

from see jane work:

animal cube notepad

thomas paul filing accessories

i am not a paper cup

magnetic birdie

from etsy:

cameo push pins from regansbrian

anemones folder by puncontrollable

{i'm such a nerd; i know.}

vintage train case by getreadysetgo

{perfect for office storage/organization}

even when my world no longer revolves around the academic calendar,

fun, unique office supplies will always make me smile.

happy return-to-school, my lovelies.

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{fierce} footwear

i've been stalking these lovely gems for a couple weeks now...

unfortunately, i can't find them in a store to get a good look at them,

but i figure with black lizard uppers and turquoise soles, i can't go wrong.

i am already picturing them with dresses, skirts, and bright tights.

i do hope that they don't disappoint!

{i usually wear a 5 1/2 but could only find a 6 online. i will cry if they don't fit!}

thanks, mr christian siriano, for my fierce new shoes.

i did always love you on project runway.

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{a walk} in the park

i simply adore this floral skirt.

the bright pattern brings a smile to my face, and
i look forward to pairing it with tights and peep toes in the fall.
{it also looks great with the pink cardigan}

this bag was an incredible find
on a random jewelry store date with my bestie
the raspberry color is perfect!

tee, belt, & necklaces, F21; skirt, Twelve by Twelve; cardigan, Ann Taylor Loft;
shoes, old Nine West; bag, Charming Charlies



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ace of spades

{one of my favorite kate spade ads}

my love affair with kate spade began when i saw my first pair of ks heels.

they were sleek, subtly sexy, vintage-inspired, and pink,

{everything my pre-teen self could ever want}

and i was completely hooked.

since then i have loved kate in everything from heels to china,

always finding something from her collection that i adore.

now, with her fall 2009 apparel debut, i am as in love with kate as ever.

vintage inspiration

vibrant colors

feminine silhouettes

mixing of patterns

colorful tights

bright lips

oh, kate. how i do love you.

{see more of my favorite ks ads here}

all images from kate spade

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dressing dressers

i really like the finish on this faux-bois dresser

perhaps another diy project is in the making...

click here for a video and tutorial from Martha Stewart {of course}

image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

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happiness {is}

spending saturdays with my k

perusing through antique stores...
{i purchased a lovely old coffee can for $1 and readily used it as a vase}


eating lunch on the town square in an old-fashioned deli...


and sharing a delicious, homemade strawberry milkshake.


i am already looking forward to the weekend, again.




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shades of grey

on a sunny sunday afternoon in the south.

tank, Tarjay; skirt, H&M; sunnies, F21; necklace, Anthropologie; shoes, Payless {for real}

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{indoor adventure}

a couple weeks ago, k ordered a new tent from rei,
so the day it came in we did the only proper thing...
we set it up in our living room.


it was surprisingly easy to put together,
despite our silliness and laughter.


our new addition is an rei taj 3 {i like that name}, and
we named him hector because he is strong enough to withstand something ridiculous like 100mph winds.
there is much more room in this tent than in our other one,
so no more waking up with my nose touching the side or fumbling around at my feet trying to find my flashlight or water bottle.
hector has plenty of room for both sleeping and storing packs,
and he is light enough to take backpacking!


thank you rei for making such a great tent!
we can't wait to try it out!



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things i learned at camp {part 1}

well my lovelies, i am back from camp.
it was an interesting week, and i am exhausted,
but i am very glad to be home.
{i will post some pictures later, after they are developed.
i was scared of losing my camera, so i went 1990s style and used a disposable.}


here are a few frivolous things i learned during my stay at camp twin lakes:

how to do the "stanky leg"{it's a dance, don't worry}
that ponies really like for you to pet their noses
that lake kayaking is much easier than river kayaking
how to shoot a bow and arrow {although i only hit the target once}
that i despise taking a shower wearing flip flops
how to make dining hall food taste better
that oatmeal with strawberries is my new favorite breakfast


although this past week was bereft of the comforts of home, it was for a really great cause.
see, camp twin lakes isn't like any other camp.
it is specially designed for children with various challenges,
from cancer and blood disorders {camp rainbow}
to downs syndrome and other complications {camp infinity}
to heart transplants {camp braveheart} and brain injuries {camp hardgrove}
and many many many more.
my campers, for example, were all sickle cell patients,
and our camp was called camp new hope.
{each group of children has their own camp name}

i don't want to get too into the details,
but i do want to say that seeing a little girl being taken out of her wheel chair, strapped into a sling harness, and pulled two stories into the air to go down the zip line was about the most heart-wrenching thing i have ever seen.
she was ecstatic
even writing about it brings tears to my eyes.

without the facility at camp twin lakes, this child {and so many others} would never have had the opportunity to do the things that the average child does at camp.
the grounds are designed to accommodate any medical equipment,
and the medical lodge has the capability to provide any type of treatment necessary,
from chemotherapy to blood transfusions to dialysis,
so that these children can have a typical camp experience
while still maintaining their health care.


for more info on camp twin lakes, visit their website.
there are so many ways to get involved,
from volunteering as a counselor
{there are weekend, day, and week-long camps}
to a simple monetary donation.
i know that i will continue to support camp twin lakes with both my time and money.
it is truly an inspiring place.


xoxo



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Guest Post: Ruins of Detroit

Hello Dear Readers! Ash has honored me with guest blogging this week and I have to admit I have been racking my brains with what fashionable and or inspirational topic I should post about. I used to blog on blogspot, but found that I am too A.D.D to sit down and truly devote a whole post to one subject. I love expressing myself creatively on the Internet however, so I have taken up tumblr, as has Ash. I don't know if y'all have checked it out, its a stripped down "short-form" blog that most people use to just post or re-blog pictures that they like. It's highly addictive and you could get lost in it for hours. She is francaisamericain and I am thelittlebit. Any-who. I decided that photography would be the topic that I bring to the table here at H.I.S.

There is a partnership of photographers in particular that have recently blown me away. They are Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, and they mainly photograph ruins. On their website they express that;

"Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes, small pieces of history in suspension. The state of ruin is essentially a temporary situation that happens at some point, the volatile result of change of era and the fall of empires. This fragility, the time elapsed but even so running fast, lead us to watch them one very last time : being dismayed, or admire, making us wondering about the permanence of things. Photography appeared to us as a modest way to keep a little bit of this ephemeral state."

One subject, "The Ruins of Detroit" is particularly haunting to me. When looking at these photos I cannot help but be shocked that I am looking at an American city. A city that my husband's family orginated from and have consequently left because of all the economic, social and political turmoil. These images are really quite beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. I cannot help but think of all the families and individuals that these spaces once meant so much to. I know that if this was my city I would be outraged. But I also know you cannot stop the winds of change both progressive and destructive. Enjoy.

Erin

Guestie

So, my friend and talented author of this blog asked me to guest post for her while she's trapped away at camp-- with no internet and limited access to phone-- (poor girl. Nothing about that sounds appealing). I'm Ashley, from Kindredly, and if you read my blog, you know that my blog is nothing like HiS....and this has me a little....nervous.

HiS is chock full of all things I love...and would love to write so eloquently about, but it's physically impossible for me to do so. I don't know if I'm just not as sweet as our author or what.... Either way, I'm going to try to make you readers happy and live up to your expectations.

I've done nothing but agonize over today's topic because I highly doubt you care to hear about my hectic day at the office. I can write a novel about my hectic days at the office. I have desk to forehead contact daily, people.

Just as I thought I'd have to let everyone down and not post at all, I found a new Steve Madden email in my inbox gearing up for fall and advertising new styles. Since a lot of this blog is devoted to fashion and how to look awesome on a budget, I decided to share a few of my favorites from the new fall collection (along with one pair that's on sale...woo!).
I love, love, love these booties, and they must become part of my shoe collection now. I'm a sucker for nude because I have really short legs, and from my experience, nude shoes elongate short, stubby legs and transform them into long, sexy stems.
I'd have to see these on my feet because some of these shoes look like stripper shoes when you actually get them on. Again, I gravitated toward the neutral, but this shoe also comes in black.
Sale: $50. I've been throwing around the idea of wearing flats. If you know me personally, you know that I wear heels almost 100% of the time (it's summer now, so I'm typically in dresses or skirts and flip flops). In college, my uniform was quite unfortunate and consisted of tattered jeans, a sorority/fraternity t-shirt and stilettos. I will have zero use of my knees by the time I'm 50, fo sho. I'm thinking if I'm going to start experimenting with flats, they better be pointy to help with the short leg issue. The studded detail on the back helps too.

I can wishlist post all day long, but I suppose I better not wear out my welcome. Go to the Steve Madden website and check out all the great shoes for fall, and I'll check you guys on Wednesday.