Say Yes...

...yes to quiet mornings.

Yes to a cheerful Easter brunch with my little sister and close friends.

Yes to my older brother, who sent me a present so I'd stop sulking about not being home for Easter...

...and to the present in question, Beauty and the Beast.
Yes to savory tomato and pesto crostata.
Yes to the kind barista who gave me a free cup of green tea...
...when I needed it the most.

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

[photo cred to here]

Pinned & Tucked

I love when hair has that rough, un-done texture that looks as though you pulled your hair into a tight braid, twisted it over the crown of your head, and then took a fast ride in a little red convertible. The curls framing her face (Mary Kate's? Ashley's? Neither?!) are so sweet, while the little tail of the braid pinned on the side gives it a bohemian feel. I don't use a hairbrush (is that weird?) because I like that my hair's coarseness helps it stay in place when I pull it back into a low, haphazard bun. I might just braid a few strands of my hair and tuck them behind my ear — it's such an easy (read: lazy) way to get a similar look.

P.S. Ahhh, and the v-neck! Sigh. Please style me, Mary Kate/Ashley/neither.


[photo cred to Summer Polaroid Memories via Musings in Femininity]

Bits of Poppy

A dash of red can make all the difference, be it in the form of a silky blouse or a new bloom. Especially that blouse pictured above, for which I'd do anything. I love that it's slouchy and carelessly sensual, how it just slips off the shoulder ever so subtly. The poppy-red shade is really just a bonus. Maybe this top by Madewell would do? (There's a zipper on the back that could alter the neckline):

What do you think?

[photo cred to 1, 2, and 3]

Dark Chocolate

Midterms are setting in, and I'm in need of a double-shot of espresso with a twist of lemon. I spent most of my weekend translating and writing commentary for Old English texts. Do you remember being in grade school and asking the teacher whether it was necessary in real life to know whether or not a quadrangle was a rhombus or a trapezoid? The eleventh century homily I translated is kind of like that.

I did, however, get a nice break on Saturday for a venture to the Chicago Botanic Garden. It was wonderful... until it snowed. IT SNOWED. There's nothing worse than wearing a pair of really cute Marais bow flats and watching helplessly as Mother Nature laughs maniacally and promptly ruins them.

How was your weekend?


[photo cred to 1 and 2, both via Patterson Maker]

Say Yes...

...yes to glowing afternoons.

Yes to feeling classy with 1, 2 and 3 (click links and play simultaneously; via here)

Yes to taking a three-day break from job hunting...

...on behalf of my mental sanity.

Yes to healthy (and pretty!) snack ideas.

Yes to very necessary stress-relief.

Yes to you for being so supportive and kind and wonderful!

[photo cred to 1, 2, and 3, all via Patterson Maker]

Spring Flowers

If only the cans of tomato paste sitting in my pantry looked as pretty and delicate as these...

[photo cred to here]

Working Girl

Tomorrow is my first-ever job fair, and as it happens, I forgot my perfect grey J. Crew blazer at home. I don't own anything that would necessarily count as business attire — I would instead take the liberty of describing what workplace-appropriate dress I do wear as "business attire's little sister who wants extra Tabasco in her Bloody Mary and reads the style section before the front page of the NY Times." 

So I'm taking a page out of the Chanel Fall/Winter '11 show, a look that's buttoned-up but still chic. I'm wearing a knee-length (see! Totally appropriate!) tiered black pencil skirt, a cowl-neck-inspired blouse, and my grey suede J. Crew pumps. And tights (sigh, in April) because I must (read: the career counselor woman told me I had to). This ensemble isn't necessarily buttoned-up, but I'm wearing all neutrals and those godforsaken tights in an effort to compensate for my shameful lack of power-woman blazer. Really, I need my mother, who always waited for me at the bottom of the stairs so she could order me to go back up and roll my school uniform skirt back down.

Wish me luck!

[photo cred to 1]