INSPIRATION BOARD

last night i decided to play some of my favorite music, grab a pink lemonade (i had opened a beer but then opted for the lemonade), and looked at tons of photos.

sometimes i just need to find lots of little things that inspire me and stick'em together. 

there are so many things that inspire me daily. the color of a wall to the type on a menu. 

sometimes it's a pair of shoes and it can even be as simple as the colors in the sky. 

what inspires you? do lots of things make you happy or does it take a lot to get you feeling inspired and excited? -e

I BEGIN

guys, i felt very uninspired for a couple of weeks recently and i was in such a rut that i was afraid it was going to take a lot to get me out of it. and slowly but surely i have been feeling a little better. yesterday, i woke up and thought it was time to start a new big project. to really put myself out there and go all the way. it might happen the way i want or it might not. but, it's not about that...it is about finally doing something i have secretly wanted to do for a while.

i cannot even handle the idea of ever getting stuck in a job that will make me miserable and sometimes i fear that this will happen to me which is why i have been trying to take baby steps towards what i want for my future.

as an "artist" i want to know that i am always giving my all...sometimes that leaves me feeling vulnerable and that is scary, but exciting at the same time.

i am crossing my fingers this project of mine leads me to new places and opens new (cool) doors for me. -e

INFINITE POTENTIAL

well, neil gaiman you are a brilliant brilliant man.

this quote is from one of his books and when i first read it i just sat in silence for a couple of minutes and really took it in. this is one of my most favorites quotes, ever. there is hope in it. it's exciting and it makes you feel invincible.

this is something we must always remember and try to never forget. we have infinite potential. we can do anything...anything!

think about this throughout the week. really let is sink in. let it change you.

-eli

photo found here

OH HOW EXCITING

sorry i have been a little mia this week. i've just been super busy and the mini trip to san francisco left me inspired, but sad because i just want to be back there. i will have a new music monday, shop lovin', and recipe up next week which i am very excited about.

for now i leave you with this: i am very excited about the future. i don't exactly have anything super exciting to look forward to at this moment, but i'm simply excited about the fact that the future brings new changes and that is exactly what i need right now...change & lots of it. please and thank you.

i hope you guys feel the same way. can you believe that this year is almost over. it is going to 2013 before we know it...and we will alllll be alive because the whole 2012 end of the world conspiracy makes me laugh a lot.

enjoy your weekend. -eli



photo found here / here

I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO, AGAIN

i am back in orange county (insert sad face here) and because i didn't come home until late last night there was no time to post a music monday. but today i bring you some photos from my last minute trip to san francisco.

the way this trip happened was pretty great. i was in my graphic design class on friday and saw one of my friends post something about one of our best friends being up in san francisco and right then and there i decided i was going to go up that weekend. checked out student universe, jetblue, and southwest airlines for flights. student universe had a flight for the next day and it was super cheap. so, what do you do when you only have to buy a one way and it happens to be less than $100...you book the flight, duh!

it was a nice quick getaway, exactly what i needed. i ate some great food, had some good drinks, and loved every second of it. i miss san francisco already, but i will be back in november! for those of you who know me you know i have left my heart in san francisco and hope to one day move up there for a couple of years. for now trips every few months will do, kinda.

guys, if you are ever in san francisco i highly suggest mission beach cafe. it is one of my favorite restaurants there and even though we had to wait almost two hours this time around...it was so totally worth it! their sunday brunch is perfect. oh, and order their parmesan truffle fries. your life will be changed...forever.

PS how cute is my friend emily?!

-eli

MORE & MORE

i recently had a conversation about this with a friend of mine while stuck in the oh so lovely LA traffic and it was nice to get a lot off my chest. this is something i really struggle with and coming across this the other day was a nice reminder. i need to let go of all my anxiety and stress and just love and then love some more and then some more.

i need this in a large poster somewhere in my room so i am always reminded of this...or something ha ha!

have a happy and fun filled weekend!

photo found here / here

SHOP LOVIN' // JAC VANEK

there are a handful of people i look up to professionally and style wise, but jac vanek has constantly inspired me in a different way. i forget how i came across her, but it must have been about four or five years ago. there is something so incredible about jac and i have a major girl crush on her! i love her brand because it makes me think of 'my so called life', 'freaks and geeks' (two of my favorite shows), and everything 90s grunge!

she started off with making a few bracelets for friends that said "ruthless" which were inspired by one of her favorite bands, something corporate. from there it took off. now, a couple of years later jac vanek is slowly taking over the world...okay, maybe just part of it? ha ha. i love what her brand stands for. i love how each shirt isn't just a shirt with some design on it. there is meaning behind every single design. i really could go on and on about jac vanek and her brand, but i won't. her story is super awesome and i suggest you go check it out!

she's a total babe nerd (yes, it is a thing) and when i met her i was totally star struck. i have met tons of celebrities and the huge kind, and i've never cared...but when i met jac vanek i'm pretty sure i had a mild panic attack (but i did a great job of hiding it) the whole time.

one of my favorite items has to be the 'need more coffee' tee! i really always am in need of more coffee, aren't you?! the four up there are pieces i need to own like, yesterday.

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jac vanek pieces: stay weird hoodie / you wish tee / rad tee / america peace tee

CHANGE OF SCENERY

i love reading. a lot. i am currently reading a book by haruki murakami called south of the border, west of the sun. it's incredible. i'm about half way through it and i feel so connected to haruki's words that i never want this book to end.

whenever i read i always have some sort of writing tool with me. my books are always high lighted, underlined, and have notes scribbled all over. it's my way of taking it all in. whenever i let people borrow my books i always ask them to please write in it whenever they feel it necessary. it's cool to re-read a book and see what parts really impacted you.

this is a quote from the book that made so much sense to me. it's as if i read this in the exact moment i needed to hear it. don't you guys think that it is so true?

if you guys want a new book to pick up and devour...i suggest south of the border, west of the sun. it's funny, romantic, and brilliant.

back ground photo found here 

BLACK AND WHITE

shooting black and white film has always had a special place in my heart. when i first started taking film photos i only shot black and white, i first learned how to develop black and white, and the photograph i am proudest of shooting is black and white. i just think there is something so raw about it. i came across these photos and knew i had to share them! 

there is something so simple about black and white film, but i also feel like (sometimes) the simplicity adds so much power to the photographs that you can't get from color photographs.

for instance, don't you guys love that most if not all photobooths still produce black and white photos instead of color?! there is something nostalgic about using black and white. 

maybe i am crazy and you guys don't think the same or maybe i'm not and you totally understand me?!

photos found: here / here / here / here

SHOP LOVIN' // BAN.DO

                                   
i love sparkly pretty things. especially if you can wear them! that is why ban.do deserves to be known by all. they are a brand i stand behind and love because they're everything fun, sparkly, and exciting! the girls behind ban.do are just as fantastic as their products and they are pretty dang inspiring if you ask me. just some la ladies who are out to make the world a little bit prettier and sparklier.

guys, let's be real and just point the obvious: these bad boys are more than just products. they are statement pieces and the best kind if you ask me! there is something so cool and envious about gals who rock pieces like these, right? i love adding character to outfits by throwing on fun bright colored jewelry and one or more of these sparkly pieces!

tons of celebrities like: taylor swift, justin bieber, lea michele, and way more have been spotted wearing ban.do pieces from time to time! if you know what is good for you and this world, you'll go check ban.do out and treat yourself or a friend to something pretty. and if you sign up for their mailing list you get 15% off on your first order!

thank me later, people!

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ban.do pieces: sunburst bobbi set / chiffon girlie bow / jumbo party bobbi / mini pom pom flower

BE...YOURSELF!

not until recently did this become very relevant. it's super awesome when someone likes your work and acknowledges it, but it is another thing when they copy your work. i recently found someone doing this with some of my ideas and past posts. this is in no way a post calling this person out because in actuality i wrote this post last week before i was aware of the whole situation...i am just a firm believer in being your own person.

i feel like too many people are always trying too hard to be like others. it's cool to have people who inspire you when it comes to clothes, art, work, etc....but sometimes people cross the line and try to become just like those people. i have always believed that you shouldn't try to be anyone but yourself.  

so, think for yourself. whether it be style wise or work wise you should be funky and cool on your own. learn to love yourself because if you can't accept and respect yourself then who will?

how do you guys feel about this?

photo found here

ARCHITECTURE LOVE

there are very few things that make my heart skip a big huge beat: really pretty paper stores, ryan gosling, and fantastic architectural works. like, come on, who doesn't go crazy over wonderfully designed buildings.

i love going through photos and fantasizing that i lived in those great buildings. i like to imagine the types of parties i'd throw (because i promise you, that is all i would ever do) and how i would decorate my home. i go a little crazy. judge me, world.

so, basically, the first home would be my winter home where i would go with some friends during the cold months and hangout and do lots of fun stuff that people would normally do in awesome homes like this one. ha ha. that second home is just great!

those outside patios are awesome. i would love a big ol' loft in new york with a private patio like this one. a girl can dream, can't she? and that restaurant looks great, i want to eat there...or drink there, i don't know.

do you fantasize about fantastic buildings like i do sometimes? i hope so!

photo found here / here / here / here

TAKE..

i start classes again on monday. i am actually really excited for this semester since i am taking a french class, web design class, and some graphic and computer classes. i think i will learn a lot and that is super exciting. i had a hard time picking classes and debating on quitting my job or not which then left me feeling anxious most of the time. for some reason i was scared of taking risks this time around.

throughout the whole process i kept thinking "take chances, elizabeth" and it helped, a lot. this semester i am entering new territory at school and hopefully at work. i am excited and nervous all at the same time and i plan on reminding myself daily that in life we must take chances to really grow and become the people we are destined to be. 

i hope you guys always remember this and do the same.

photo found here / design by city & kitchen

LIVING ON THE WILD SIDE

one of my best friend and i have this weird obsession with boys and motorcycles. we like to day dream about one day dating someone who rides a motorcycle. they will take us on fun adventures on their motorcycles and it will be wonderful and scary all at the same time. it's like living life on the wild side.

when i came across this print i might have kind of died. it is wonderful and it is one of my dreams out on paper. there are a couple of other prints with people on motorcycles and they are pretty fantastic. go check 'em out!

i need this print...as well as a boyfriend who rides a motorcycle. ok, cool.

print found here

BLACK AND WHITE

i am a lover of black and white photographs. at times i feel like they are so much more raw than color film. when i saw this photo of audrey tautou i fell in love. she has been in so many of my favorite foreign films and i think she is the prettiest little thing.

whenever i see her i think of movies, paris, and falling in love (she is always falling in love in her movies) and so i thought it was only fair to pair the photograph with this photograph of smeared ink on a paper.

happy sunday, everyone!

photo found here / writing found here

SWEET NOTES

every once in a while you come across something(s) that really blows your mind. it hits home and you are left feeling a little bit happier and fuller. well, when i came across these bad boys i just about died. i love simple sweet notes and these really are the perfect combination of both with a little bit of funny. 

oh dear god, please let me find someone in the future that will leave me notes like these around the house. how sweet would be?

hope you enjoy them as much as i did.

notes found here

WANDERLUST

i think i've caught it, guys...the travel bug that is. i mean, i am always the first of my friends to talk about traveling and planning trips because visiting new places and getting lost in strange places has always been something that fills me with joy. i love the idea of going some where and just getting lost in the city. i think wanderlust has been engraved in my whole being. because... 'i'm in love with cities i've never been to and people i've never met.'

so, this series is kind of fantastic. deflated balloons with simple words and sayings. some of them really hit home for me. check them out!

photo found here

YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST

this piece of writing and art piece completely describe how i have been feeling for quite a while now. sometimes i feel like i get so caught up in work and unimportant things that i begin to really lose myself and trying to get out of that mess is becoming harder and harder. i feel like sometimes i go a little crazy. i love how these two pieces side by side are even more powerful than when alone.

how do these pieces make you feel? reading this little note on the back of a receipt helped me a lot because i was reaffirmed that i am not the only one going a little crazy.

writing found here / artwork found here

SOME RANTS

as i get older i realize that when people used to say to me, "enjoy your youth, enjoy it while you can, you have the energy and time to do it all..." they weren't kidding. in a matter of one year my life went from having lots of free time, adventuring a few times a week, reading devouring books in days or weeks, to trying to find time to read a few pages of the book i have been on for a few months, having to plan adventures instead of spontaneously going on them, spending my free time sleeping because i have been up since four or six in the morning and am exhausted. 

i spent my saturday working from 6:45am to 2:30pm and coming home to sleep (didn't plan on it, but my couch is like a cloud) and having an anthony bourdain no reservations marathon. best show, ever? i think yes! he is livin' the life. traveling to beautiful places and eating food, amazing and crazy food. i would love nothing more. 

watching this made me realize my life needs some change, i need to drop a shift and spend more time doing the things that make me happy. i need to travel more, hike more, love more...the list could go on and on. i came across this photo and the flickr that had an album titled book of lists which filled me with nostalgia. i love the idea of writing these notes in a journal or any paper (or napkin) to store forever. i might do something like this. i'm feeling inspired. 

i hope you guys don't get lost in work, worries, and unimportant things. change things up, don't forget to be inspired by what is around us. adventure more and don't forget to love, a lot.

currently reading: everything beautiful began after

currently listening: flaws by BASTILLE

-e