candidacy survival

well the time has come for our big candidacy exam here in my graduate program. it's 2 weeks of intense analysis and writing. not a lot of fun if you ask me.

so i'll be gone for two weeks while i focus on this exam.  but i thought i'd leave you with a glimpse inside my candidacy survival kit :)

1. pretty notebook and pen - to jot down notes and random thoughts...and vent my frustration if necessary ;) [since we're not allowed to talk to anyone about the exam]
2. granola bars - to keep my stomach-growling to a minimum when i'm holed up inside the library all day.
3. reading glasses - i've been bad about wearing my glasses lately, but since i'm going to be doing A LOT of reading, i really have to remind myself to wear them. plus, they'll make me feel more studious [whatever works, right?]
4. to-do list - i've got one for every day of my two week exam! [if you know me at all, this is not a surprise]
5. my beloved mac - this is my BFF these next two weeks. i could not survive without it.
6. entertainment - since i'm giving up all social media, blogs, news sites, and any other online distractions...music will be my only online entertainment. i have music playlists all ready to energize me and relax me, both of which i'm sure i'll need.
7. research essentials - post-its & highlighter...two of my favorite things :)
8. hydration - i even bought the fancy water to make it seem more special
9. relief - all this reading and writing...i'm sure excedrin will be in my future.
10. caffeine - extremely critical to my survival.

see you in two weeks!

design time: week #2

this week, my design class [through nicole's classes online] focused on the creation of desk calendars, illustrated cards, and photo cards.

my instructor, alma loveland [don't you love her name] was wonderful again. i learned so many new tricks and techniques. here are some of my projects from this week...

desk calendar - demonstrates grid & alignment

invitation - demonstrates freehand drawing & customized letters

save the date - demonstrates geometric layering & letterpress style

postcard - demonstrates combination of photo and illustration

save the date - demonstrates combination of photo and illustration

baby announcement - demonstrates combination of photo and illustration & customized letters

i'm so sad that the class is over this week, but i'm thinking of taking another one once my work calms down a bit :)

sweet gingham

"give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."
-marilyn monroe


i found these pretty wedges on super sale at payless.

only $8.00?
blue & white gingham?
sold.

...just a little glimpse inside my shoe obsession...

irish cupcakes

guinness chocolate cake + dark chocolate & baileys ganache + espresso & baileys buttercream icing
=
the most divine, irish inspired cupcake.
ever. :)

 

one of my favorite things to do is cook/bake with my mom [who is so talented and has an amazing ability to make the most delicious food!]. last week we attempted a recipe that i found online that combines some of my favorite things: chocolate + guinness + ganache + buttercream. seriously, how could those ingredients be anything but incredible?

we modified the guinness bailey's irish cream cupcake recipe from the awesome annie's eats blog and these cupcakes are seriously divine. you can really taste the stout in the cake and it's perfectly balanced out by the dark chocolate ganache and the sweet buttercream icing.  we found that they are best served cold and as mini-cupcakes.  mmmm, so good.

...i think i might go have one right now :)

color crush: turquoise & poppy red

can you believe it's the last week of july already? i can't. summer is sadly flying by. and yet i'm happily looking forward to the cooler temperatures of fall.

for this last week of july, i thought i'd do one more bold, summery color combo [like last week's bright lemon yellow and lime green pairing].

so this week is turquoise and poppy red. it's seriously bold. but i'm kind of loving it.  the color combo reminds me of a trendy take on the traditional patriotic red, white, and blue.

i really love those charles david heels...and i think that the bright red cole haan belt adds a cheerful pop against the cool turquoise tinley road tank. top it off with some shiny red nails and toes and you're ready to send july out with a colorful bang :)

{tinley road tank via piperlime} {cole haan belt via zappos, charles david gratis heels, OPI polish in thrill of brazil}

adios july, it's been fun...

silver-wear

i wanted to get a little something at this year's arts fest and i found this awesome artist couple who make vintage, antique silverware into different pieces of art...including jewelry [see dianne & chuck geier's website, the new homestead].

i fell in love with the rings that they made and found one that used to be a spoon!  it has such beautiful, intricate detail.

the style is a little thicker than i normally wear, but i love that it was refurbished metal and that it had a little history to it.



so innovative. so pretty. love it.

arts fest

last weekend was arts fest and our town was taken over

by 125,000 artists, visiting alumni, and friends.

all weekend, the skies were bright blue and

filled with fluffy white clouds and colorful flags.

the streets were lined with beautiful, unique art.

people went from shopping to staying cool under the refreshing water buckets.

you could hear the musicians playing all day

while people snacked on delicious creamery ice cream and carnival food.

 

 

 

 

 

my friend jenn and i walked around all day, visiting each booth and admiring

the jewelry, pottery, clothes, photography, and other pretty art.

we did indulge in some yummy french fries and lemonade...which were de.lic.ious.

it was such a fun weekend!

...but part of me is happy that campus has returned back to normal :)

morning walk

"an early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."
-henry david thoreau

now, i'm really not a morning person. but i've been trying to get up early to go on runs or walks and it really does seem to make the rest of my day so much more productive.

it also helps that i live next to a golf course, so the view is always filled with perfectly manicured lawns, winding paths, canopies of tree leaves, and cheerful flowers...

hope you have a happy day :)

design time

last week i started taking an online graphic design course from nicole's classes. my instructor is alma loveland (who is so talented - check out her work here). the class i'm taking is focused specifically on printed graphic design, like business cards, greeting cards, calendars, and stationary. i've been learning so much about adobe illustrator and the world of printed design. i just wanted to share some of my (very basic) designs that exemplify the techniques we learned in week 1 of our class...

here are some of my business card designs...

all images except the insect were created by myself (i'm not a fan of bugs, but the image was given to us ;))

and here are some of my greeting cards...

demonstrates merged objects & the scribble tool

demonstrates heart swatch pattern & scallop design

demonstrates star swatch pattern & monogram style card

demonstrates stripes, dotted lines, & merged objects

i'm still at the really basic level of exploring adobe illustrator, which is such a powerful tool. but i'm excited to keep learning new things and experimenting with my design.

this week we learn about invitations, photo cards, and calendars...so fun!

color crush: lemon yellow & lime green

this week's color crush is inspired by the arts festival that i went to this weekend. our town was taken over by talented artists and musicians, visiting alumni, and yummy carnival food :)  the bright colors and fun, mid-summer festivities drew my eye to these bold, citrus colors...

{banana republic raw ribbons halter dress} {bandolino moderngirl shoes via zappos, banana republic market tote}

inspired by these images from the weekend...

happy monday :)

my escape

"till my soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me."
-h.w. longfellow 

...this is my escape...

 

 

 

 

 

 

i miss you already, north carolina

...until next year...