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)

Une belle maison

A few weeks ago, I was finally able to walk through a house I have admired for many years since it was built near my neighboorhood several years ago. I was not surprised to see that the interior is just as beautiful, if not more than the exterior.

I loved the ironwork, the lead-glass windows, the steeped roof, and the tiniest architectural details throughout the house. I swooned over the gorgeous furniture, Old-World draperies and upholstery, and the way the elements actually look antique, and not fake-wannabe antique. It has a certain charm to it that gave me chills as soon as I walked in the front doors.

What does your dreamhome look like?

(all photos via the home's owner)

Profess Courage and Act Accordingly

A friend recently sent me this fun tag to create your own "album cover." This is how mine turned out. Looks legitimate, no? I loved the photo I just happened to get.

asdf

Now I'm tagging all of you who read this. Here's how make your own:

1 - Go to "wikipedia.com" Select “random article”or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover art.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together. I used Picnik (http://www.picnik.com/)

5- Tag some friends to join in

asdfasdf

PS - Check out yesterday's post! It's definately the most charming short film I've ever seen. It's worth taking the 7 minutes, promise!

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(photo by chachahavana via flickr)

It's in the air...

I love this short film by Yohann Gloaguen. I've been humming this song for the past few weeks.

Can you keep a secret?

I usually can, except when it comes to books. When I find a good one, I want to share it with everyone I meet.

I just finished Can You Keep a Secret and The Undomestic Goddess, both by Sophie Kinsella, the lovely Brit who is known best for Confessions of a Shopaholic, which is now a film, although I found these more deep and personal than the Shopaholic books (which are very funny and charming if you haven't read them--and 100 times better than the movie).

I laughed throughout both, and even cried in some parts (although the fact that I would stay up until 2 in the morning reading them might have something to do with that...) I just couldn't put them down. It's like watching a romantic-comedy film only better.

I love Kinsella's style, humor, and how she makes her lead characters so relateable-- they could be your best friends. If you haven't read a Kinsella novel yet, please try them. They make me so happy.

(Can You Keep a Secret is my favorite!)