One of those days...

Do you ever have days when you just feel like curling up in a ball and crying yourself to sleep? For no particular reason whatsoever?

Today has been one of those days, despite the sunshine.

Oh, hormones...

(photo via)

Il futuro è rosa - the future is pink

Sorry posts have been a little sparse these past couple of weeks. Until the school work lightens up, I'm afraid blogging will have to take a back seat.

However, I did find time to post this beautiful Calzedonia ad I first saw a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful, no?

Happy Weekend!

Tonight I am having a pumpkin carving contest with some friends and making delicious pumpkin chocolate chip bread. I love autumn!

What are you doing this weekend?

(image via flickr)

Shall we dance?

This is my favorite scene from the delightful film "Shall We Dance," starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.

After seeing this movie (before all the "Dancing with the Stars" craze, mind you) I knew I had to learn how to ballroom dance. Lucky for me the university I attend has a world-renowned ballroom dance team, and thus offers many dance classes.

Last year I took my first class and learned the waltz, quickstep, and tango (my personal favorite). I've been dancing ever since! Next semester I'm taking Latin ballroom (cha cha, rumba, and paso doble) and I can't wait!

Is there something you've always wanted to do but are afraid to try? I say go for it--what have you got to lose?! We are never too old to start learning...

Love Drought

Confession: I have never had a boyfriend. Ever (...unless you count Lucas Reynolds back in third grade, but even that only lasted about a week). And I'm almost 20 years old.

Is that weird?

Honestly, it's never really bothered me. But lately I've been longing for love. Every chick flick I see, novel I read, or cute couple I notice, makes me want to let out a sigh... And my daydreaming these days is out-of-control.

My mom is convinced it's because I suck at flirting. Which is completely false. I can flirt! Really, I can! I'm just a subtle flirter... Except I guess maybe a little too subtle... (90% of the time no one even knows I'm flirting!) Ohhh why can't a coy glance and a smile get me half as far with American boys as it could with the notorious Italian ones???

I'm trying to change, truly, but it's hard for me! I've had my eye on a bel ragazzo (beautiful boy) in one of my classes, but how do I let him know I want to be more than friends without making a fool of myself if he's not interested? All my efforts in flirting have been futile. I'm stumped!

So--do you have any flirting tips for a girl like me? And I'm curious: where did you meet your significant other?

(photo via Le Love)

Eliott et Cerise

These are some of my favorite photos from a very sweet blog, Eliott et Cerise.

I hope my children will be as beautiful as these two!

I love they way their mother dresses them!

Adorable.

TGIF

After a tough week at school (three midterms, two papers, and one presentation!), I'm so ready to relax for a few days before it starts all over again...

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

(photo via bella maison)

Someday...

I want a love like the one Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth share...

P.S. - I love, love, love the movie...

Siena

I will be living here next April through July and...

I Can't Wait!

(photos are mine)

So I know summer is over, but...

I couldn't resist a deal like this! At jcrew.com, I bought this adorable swimsuit--originally $88--on sale for only $20! They have many more different styles and colors for super cheap.

asdf

Just thought I would share with you all... Jump before they're all gone!

Sous la pluie (in the rain)...

This morning I woke up, put my hair in a low messy bun with a French braid framing my face, put a scarf around my neck, walked to school in the rain listening to the Amelie soundtrack, and pretended I was actually walking through Paris...

Something about the rain and brisk days like today make me long to be in the city of light, perhaps because of this photograph...

(photo via Math_ from flickr)

European men know best...

I love this promo for J. Crew and wish more men in the U.S. dressed like this.

Too many guys dress shabby and over casually, when really, all they need is a little wardrobe makeover and voila! they could be come pretty good looking guys.

Sometimes (ok, often) I just want to move to Switzerland like Signorina Svizzera. Let me just say: the men there know what they are doing!!! I've never seen so many beautiful males in my life! A good portion of their attractiveness, I believe, comes from the way they dress...

Dream Room

In my dreams, I sleep in a room like this...

Under this bedding...

On this canopy bed frame...

And in the morning, I pull out my designer clothes from this armoire...

And I step off my beautiful hardwood flooring onto this rug...

While these curtains wave in the warm breeze coming from the open windows...

(all via anthropologie. surprised?)

You can feel it in the air...

I wish I had someone special to take a stroll with where this photo was taken...

Nevertheless, happy first day of Autumn, my friends!

(photo via Le Love)

Jewels of India

I have always found Middle Eastern and Indian art and architecture to be incredibly beautiful and interesting. I love their use of jewel-toned colors, the intricacy of their mosaics and designs, and the unique structural elements (the arches, pillars and moldings).

How could you live in rooms like these and not feel like a Mughal princess?! So beautiful...

I love the archway and the mosaics

More beautiful arches, this time scalloped

Beautiful use of light


Peaceful

Love these headboards

I love the gemstone colors against the stark white on the left

(all photos via An Indian Summer - such a beautiful blog!)

Perfection

I would never really call myself a big sports girl, but when tennis Grand Slams are going, I become a fanatic. These past few weeks I have been glued to the TV, and unfortunately homework and sleep have taken a back seat.

I've seen some amazing tennis this Grand Slam, but this shot is perhaps the very best I've seen this entire year. For those of you who know anything about tennis, you probably won't be very surprised to hear that this shot was made by Swissman Roger Federer, who sports commentators and players alike are now calling the best player in the history of the sport.

Watch this, it's crazy!

PS - Isn't he cute?

Favorite things Friday...

This week, these have been a few of my favorite things...

• Nivea chapstick
• The sound of rain against your window as you fall asleep
• Long, cultured conversations with complete strangers
• New crushes
• Watching the U.S. Open (tennis) all day, all week
• Stepping on the scale to find out you've lost 5 pounds without even trying
• Finishing a painting
• The smell of D&G Light Blue perfume
• Frozen yogurt runs with roommates
  

Have a beautiful weekend!

(painting by Joan DaGradi)

Eat, Pray, Love

I loved this book, and was excited to hear it is being made into a movie, and was ecstatic when I found out Julia Roberts is going to play the lead. She will be perfect!

If, for some reason, you have not had the chance to read this NY Times bestseller, pick it up now. It changed my life!

I'm back (finally!)

Hello readers! Sorry its taken me so long to start posting again, I promise to update fairly regularly from here on out. I forget how diverting college is: what with classes, roommates and friends, football games, and of course homework, but I feel adjusted enough in school now to find time in my hectic schedule to share my stories, thoughts, and inspirations through this blog.

Have you guys ever tried Luna Bars? I discovered them this summer and have been practically living off of them now that school has started. They are granola-like bars made specially for women and can be found at your local grocery store near the sports bars. They are delicious. I would choose one of these over a candy bar anyday. Seriously.

But perhaps the best thing about them is that they are actuallly good for you (well except for the sugar I guess)! They contain 24 vitamins and minerals and each bar has 9g of protein, 3g of fiber, and 35% DV of calcium! And may I also mention they are 70% organic?

Almost too good to be true, right? They are perfect for people who are health-conscious but always on the go. And with 14 different flavors, its impossible to get bored with them. (My favorites are the White Chocolate Macademia Nut and the Smores flavor.

M.I.A.

Sorry the latest posts have been pretty lame... I'm currently in transition, going back to school and moving into a new apartment. With school starting and everything, I may take a little break from the blogging next week, but I will hopefully be up and running again soon!

P.S. - I wish my apartment was actually on the top floor of this beautiful building, which is just left of the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco..

(500) Days of Summer

If you haven't seen this movie yet, go see it. And download the soundtrack.

Parlo con te...

Almost two years ago, I somehow stumbled across this song. Just how exactly? I have no idea (this song originally wasn't even on the U.S. version of iTunes, where I usually find most of my music). It was fate.

It gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it even though back then I couldn't understand a single word. It was this song that made me decide to study Italian, and added to my new and growing love affair of anything that had to do with Italy.

Giorgia's beautiful, pure voice took me to a whole new place, and no matter how many times I've listened to this song, each time is as powerful as the last. Sometimes it makes me cry!

Since then, I've discovered many more beautiful songs by Giorgia and other Italian artists, but this one will always be my favorite.

Hope you like it!

p.s. - sorry this unofficial video is not the greatest, but its the only one on the web I could find that would let me embed it here!

These are a few of my favorite things...

This week, these have been a few of my favorite things...

• Homemade chocolate chip cookies, fresh and warm from the oven
• The smell of new leather
• Laughing so hard with friends that you all cry
• Black and white photos of Paris
• Fresh guacamole
• That clean feeling after the dentist (and no cavities!)
• On-site painting
• Tickling little sister (well, not so little at 17) like we are both children again
• Unexpected hand-written letters
• Returning to a favorite clothing store only to find out that the item you've had your eye on for weeks is now on sale
  

Have a beautiful weekend!

(photos are mine)

Notte Sento

I love this short romantic film via Le Love! It was made with over 4,500 still photographs. Don't you wish something like this could happen to you? Rome at night is a beautiful thing to behold...

P.S. - I'm in love with this girl's style: her shoes, her dress, her hair...!

***If you experience technical difficulties in viewing this film, click here.

Girl Crush

A "girl crush" is when you have great admiration and enamoration for another woman, whether it be because of her sense of style, brilliant achievments, or sweet charisma (...nonsexual, mind you).

At the moment, I have a huge girl crush on beautiful Emma Watson (a.k.a. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter). Not only is she a brilliant actress and obviously stunning; she is sweet, down-to-earth, witty, and very smart (Emma is attending Brown University, an Ivy-League, this fall!).

I adore her!

Who is your girl crush?

Anthro

My jaw dropped to the floor when I got Anthropologie's catalogue in the mail the other day. In this particular one, they tooks photos of real people, rather than models, from around the globe. The photos are stunning and I love the backdrops of all the different places. (Not to mention the beautiful clothes!)

Here are a few of my favorites:

Wallflowers...

I made these fun desktop wallpaper backgrounds using online sample pictures of fabric. To set as your desktop background, copy the image and paste it into Paint. Save without closing, and then click File--->Set as Background (Tiled). Voila! (I'm afriad I've been a PC girl my whole life, so I'm not sure how it works for Macs...)

(fabric via heather bailey store, fabric.com, calicocorners, and pottery barn)

Engagement Photos

Ok, so how cute are these engagement photos?! They almost look like stills from a movie or a very chic magazine ad. I love the vintage clothing and hat box. What a cute couple!

(found via Emily Johnston Anderson via Cup of Jo)

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful summer weekend! Don't forget to hit your local farmers market and pick up some delicious, sun-ripened fruit (like these yummy plums!)

(photo via flickr)