shoe confidence

i have my oral defense for my candidacy exam today and am a bit nervous.

so i decided to wear some cute shoes to give me a little boost of confidence...

...because my philosophy is that a pair of cute shoes [or a pretty purse] can solve most problems ;)

black & tan faux snakeskin. so cute.




see you on the other side!

color crush: green grass & blue rain

in honor of hurricane irene, i thought i'd do a rain-day color crush post. boy, has it been raining a lot! and my area didn't even get the brunt of it...hope everyone is staying dry.

i loved this umbrella on modcloth and found some cute wellies to go with it. then i paired them with lots of blues. i wanted to find a fun piece of jewelry because i always think rainy days need a bit of cheerfulness and i came across that rain cloud necklace...so cute! i found it in a sweet etsy shop called twinklebird.

{bogs rain boots via zappos, modcloth umbrella, twinklebird rain cloud necklace via etsy} {michael kors hamilton messenger bag, j.crew cashmere cardigan, tucker blouse via net-a-porter, citizens of humanity elson jeans via net-a-porter}

happy monday...and farewell irene!

secret garden

"the secret garden is always open now.
open, and awake, and alive.
if you look the right way, you can see

that the whole world is a garden."
- frances hodgson burnett, the secret garden

 

 

 

there is a beautiful garden on campus and i've walked through it a couple of times. it's like a little utopia of calm and serenity. the pretty grasses blow in the wind, the vibrant flowers cheerfully greet you, the bunnies and ducks play in the grass while the butterflies flit around the grounds.

it's like it's part of a disney movie.  the day that i took these photos, the bunnies were hopping right up to students who were sprawled out in the grass reading. i was half expecting cartoon characters to appear and start to sweetly sing and twirl.

but i never noticed the little plaque that gives this sweet place a name: the secret garden.  and it exists because of a generous unknown donor...how mysteriously enchanting is that?

it's nice to know this little place exists so that i have somewhere to escape to when the craziness of the semester gets into full swing :)

swamped but sunny

i. am. swamped.

wow, this semester really hit the ground running. my classes, research projects, and publications are already in full swing...summer vacay is most certainly over.

but i couldn't have asked for better weather for this first week of classes! it's been so pretty...in the 70's, sun shining, blue skies, fluffy clouds...the whole bit.

so although this semester already has me swamped with work...it's nice to be back in study/work mode enjoying the cooler temperatures and the anticipation of fall :)

...and p.s. how crazy was that earthquake today??

hope you're having a sunny week too!

color crush: buttery yellow & soft gray

well it's that time of year again...first day of school!

this week, i thought i'd do a cute outfit for going to classes. i've been seeing lots of yellows & grays paired together and i think that the color combo is a nice transition from late summer to early fall. the tailored shorts and short-sleeve cardigan look very studious...and the simple watch is great for keeping track of time. i love those shoes, but in reality there is no way they would survive a day on campus ;) but we'll pretend for the sake of the outfit ... then some pretty gray nails to finish it off.

{mossimo cardigan & xhilaration bangle watch via target}
{ann taylor loft shorts, nine west fastpace shoes via zappos, OPI in birthday babe}

happy monday...hope it's a good one :)

switch

"happiness is a warm puppy"

- charles m. shultz

i've decided that i want to switch lives with my puppy, louie.

he's either napping, eating, playing, sunning himself, going for long walks, or getting pampered.

he's always wagging his tail, being told how cute he is, and being fed yummy treats.

i'd say that's quite the life.

signs of fall

i spy signs of fall!

i was out shopping with my mom today and saw pretty autumn colors adorning the shelves of my beloved crate & barrel.

soft metal gray.
creamy pumpkin orange.
harvest corn yellow.
crisp sage green.
rich plum purple.
vibrant peacock blue.

ooh, makes me so happy for the next season, which is right around the corner :)

color crush: peach & metallic gold

 well i survived candidacy. i slept most of the weekend to recover, but i'm happy it's over so my schedule can return back to normal!

so on to the color crush for this week...i keep hearing that the ikat design is really trendy right now. i came across this cute ikat dress at j.crew and thought it was so sweet. i like the light orange-y peaches with hints of shimmering, metallic golds...like a pretty august sunrise. so i paired the dress with some shiny gold, braided espadrille wedges and a matching clutch.

{j.crew ikat caroline dress} {michael kors metallic clutch & gold braided espadrilles}

i think it's a perfect color combo for bringing out the last remains of your sun-kissed tan :)