friday's fancies #13: sparkle & shine.

friday's fancies #13: sparkle & shine by siddathornton featuring sequin cocktail dresses

i have a feeling you could see me coming a mile away in this get-up, & i'll tell you what: i don't hate it.

as of late, i've been drawn to more muted, reserved, chic styles, but when {av} over at {long distance loving} chose 'sparkle & shine' as this week's theme, i was admittedly thrilled. it's been too long since i broke out the glitter polish, & this deborah lippmann selection - in do ya think i'm sexy - was irresistable to me. the only other real pop of color in this look would be the lipstick - nars pure matte lipstick in vesuvio. i chose a matte lip because i feel like it would stand out next to all the sparkle going on - & add a really chic element to the all-out glitz-fest going on here.

as you may have guessed, i will be attending a wedding on saturday, & if there were no budgetary limitations in this world, i would absolutely be donning this gorgeous marchesa sequined silk mini dress. i love the 'mixed metal' color scheme, as well as the sassy silhouette. i decided to forego the classic & expected black tights, black shoes look, & went for something a little more exciting: khaki tights with a hint of sheen, as well as some fabulous miu miu gold glitter peep toe pumps. to bring out the darker tones hidden in the dress, i'd happily wear this michael by michael kors large grayson satchel in black (a bag that has always been on my wish list), as well as this understated bayswater black suede bracelet by mulberry. the gold concentric circle drop earrings add one more touch of funky flair, with which this outfit is already brimming. for hair, i'd go with my signature look as of late, hair thrown up into a chic side-bun, with curled pieces framing my face.

all i can say as i view this outfit is, 'if only...'

link-up: friday's fancies at {long distance loving}

'may the odds be ever in your favor!'

last night, our book club met over at mckenzy's gorgeous house, for our december meeting. the book of interest? the hunger games (which i talked about here). a couple of us dressed up as tributes, we played the santa hat game (one of my favorites!), & we also participated in a cookie exchange. i had a lovely time, & once again, i felt so lucky to have found my way into such a great, intelligent group of girls! book club is definitely something that i'll miss when i move away from shreveport.

my recipe:

my cookies:

after a couple rounds of trial & error, my nutella sugar cookies came out a success!

next up in book club, one of my favorites: to kill a mockingbird.

graphic: nutella image found here; graphic designed by me
photo: iphone

eighteen.

i was roaming your street the other day.

the one that housed your residence

however periodic or transient it really was.

i remember it as a time

when the darkness of others was amplified

& their suffering was prevalent, albeit expected & seemingly contrite.

it's like it didn't even matter.

and you were really good at perpetuating that particular notion.

but when you're eighteen, everything is huge, vivid... memorable.

so i remember, even still, today.

when you're eighteen,

people fit into neat, compartmentalized little boxes.

and they're them & you're just... you.

you would never even guess that the plagues & problems that ate at them could ever even touch you.

but as you grow older, you realize that people are just people.

and they don't fit into the neat little compartments that you've built for them.

everyone spills over into everyone else, overlapping & swirling together in one big pool of humanity.

but in that moment, in that year, all we would do was climb up onto that ledge & sit.

we just breathed in & out, seeing things.

the leaves were falling, the wind was howling.

and we just listened.

because when you're eighteen, that's all you have to do.

sometimes i want to climb up there

& retrieve the memories that are trapped on that ledge -

because i know they're there. promising me part of myself -

if i only dare to knock on the door, climb the stairs, & venture out.

but i know i never will.

i never will.

a little glimpse of kinston.

on saturday night, justin text-messaged me this pretty little photo of his current city - my soon-to-be city - in north carolina. our new town is not a large one - in fact, it's around the same size as our quaint college town: ruston, louisiana.

i cannot express how much joy this little photo brought me - how much it increased the already-present christmas feeling in my heart - knowing that my new town was one that felt compelled to wrap its trees in twinkle lights, creating a parade route of sorts, down the main street.

just the other night, i was telling my mom how happy it makes me that my hometown, shreveport, louisiana, hangs twinkling wreaths, christmas trees, & other such holiday images from its lamp posts for the winter. if you stand at the end of the main street, & gaze down it without really honing in on each detail, a holiday glow is emitted - nondescript, twinkly goodness. and it just makes things feel more festive, more full-of-life. the winter chill in the air then feels more exhilirating, instead of just plain old annoying cold.

not only do i thank this photo - this little glimpse of kinston - for reminding me of the joy of the holidays, but i also thank it for reminding me that soon, i will be living there with my best friend. soon, we will be starting a brand new life there, together. soon, we will be having movie nights with diet coke & sweets. soon, we will be discovering recipes together to cook in our kitchen. soon, we will be fighting over whose turn it is to do our laundry.

soon, we will be together again.

not to mention, soon i will finally be visiting our new town. i'm so excited to see where justin has been living & working. it's so strange that we're not in the same city - or even the same state - right now.  

photo: taken by justin, with his iphone

starbucks sunday.

photos: iphone

when creativity hides.

sometimes i feel there is something i need to write

- to get out into the world -

but it just won't make itself known.

sometimes all i can do is sit back & wait

for the inspiration to strike.

sometimes i feel that i will never be able

to write anything i like, ever again.

sometimes my words feel

contrived - trite - fake - useless - worthless.

and all that keeps me coming back... all that offers up a kind of tiny, quiet motivation - is the knowledge that one day, it will come back. it will make itself known. it will manifest itself through the keys i click on the keyboard, through the swish of my pen & the ink that is bent into meaning. one day. someday.

photo: point & shoot

lists to the rescue.

after an extremely busy & hectic last week, the current week has found me both unproductive & uninspired. and as is to be expected in such a state, i look first to lists. lists fix everything. lists motivate, energize, enlighten. let the hopeful productivity begin!

i'm beginning to think my life is one big list of things i'm supposed to be doing, but don't.

the main issue at hand is turning those lists into productivity.

wish me luck.

photo: iphone

a fall spent with lauren weisberger, suzanne collins, ree drummond, & jane austen.

in order of enjoyment.

catching fire, by suzanne collins.

yes, this is the second in the hunger games trilogy, but it was definitely my favorite. as i was riding the wave of excitement felt while reading the first novel, i was catapulted into this one, & was completely taken by surprise by one of the twists. i read this book in 48 hours, & that's only because i had to go to work. otherwise, it would have been finished at warp speed.

the hunger games, by suzanne collins.

i wasn't sure what to expect with this series when i first picked it up in barnes & noble on my lunch break one day. and when i read the back cover, i was a bit deterred. it all seemed a bit... barbaric. but it's so much more than that. once i began reading, i found it hard to stop.

mockingjay, by suzanne collins.

this selection was my least favorite of the trilogy. after the intense excitement & suspense of the first two novels, i was expecting a similar experience. and while it delivered most of the time, there were definite drags in the plotline. i also wasn't crazy about the ending - it felt a bit rushed & left some questions unanswered that i really wanted cleared up. all in all, though, this series was fantastic & so much more than i expected. i highly recommend picking it up.

the pioneer woman: black heels to tractor wheels, by ree drummond.

after much coercion from friends, i finally picked this book up when it was chosen for my book club's october read. i really, really enjoyed this book & found it alarmingly easy to read. i also experienced the i miss them phenomenon, which often happens when i finish a book or movie that i loved. the pioneer woman's blog posts now promptly pop up in my inbox as soon as they go live... & i sigh a happy sigh with each beautifully photoshopped image & long-winded list of hers that i have the pleasure of viewing.

pride & prejudice, by jane austen.

an old familiar favorite. and it just gets better with each new read.

last night at chateau marmont, by lauren weisberger.

a fluffy, summer-ish, beachy read, this book is a quick, light-hearted selection. the characters were likeable, although the story is a bit far-fetched.

--

now, on to the winter book list! 

photo: point & shoot, edited with picnik & photoscape.

miscellany monday #8: somehow, december mondays feel a little bit sweeter.

today i am reflecting on the pure joy that is the christmas season. and, more specifically, the joy that is decorating our homes for the christmas season. as i paid visits to friends' homes this past week & weekend, i found myself surrounded by garland, lights, stockings, and christmas trees - oh, those christmas trees.

and each time a new scene of tinsel & lights lay before my eyes, i felt all of those holiday feelings all over again. and with those holiday feelings, also come the feelings of luck & gratefulness. i am so thankful to have a whole holiday season before me. it warms my heart to know that, while anticipating loved ones' homecomings, the thrill of gift-giving, & then a trip or two of my own, i have all of the holiday spirit i could ever hope for, all around me. that, i'd say, is a very comforting - and also thrilling - thing.

currently...

reading nothing. with the close of the reading of pride & prejudice for book club, i am sad to say that i have not yet picked up the first installment of my winter book list. i do believe, though, that i shall begin this week with john bridges' how to be a gentleman. yes, truly it is not my role in life to be a gentleman, but i figure it'd still be interesting to find out how the gentlemen in my life should go about being just that.

writing not even half-way nearly enough.

listening to the black keys' new album, via lindsey. office jam sesh?

thinking that decorating the christmas tree with my parents last night was just what the doctor ordered - and should be a guide to how the rest of this week should pan out, if i am lucky.

smelling sunflowers, by elizabeth arden. my signature scent circa seventh grade. i love that i still love it.

wishing for the inspiration to finish my homemade christmas gifts, to tackle some very important wedding to-dos, & for the patience to do all of the above with joy & happiness on my face & in my heart (stress, be gone!).

hoping my life doesn't disappear into the abyss that is obsessive gossip girl viewing. netflix is a blessing & a curse, all in one. i'm currently at the beginning of season two. i have a lot of catching up to do! however, that is not allowed to be my top priority.

wearing my pearl popcorn necklace from justin, which is one of my very favorites. and a new makeup look. and a hair look inspired by blair (read: gossip girl obsession).  

loving that this week means kara will be home for christmas break. and that justin's journey home to shreveport for christmas has been booked. and that plans for me to finally visit him in north carolina are in the works.

wanting to get caught up on watching my youtube beauty gurus. i love turning to them for inspiration. i really hope megan has a new video or two!

needing to have a week dedicated to becoming the best version of myself. think every-day workouts, plenty of pilates, reading, writing, cleaning - and, above all, relaxing. luckily the blank week staring back at me from the pages of my planner is conducive to this particular idea.

link-ups:

miscellany monday at lowercase letters

instagram link party at a {little} dash of ash

friday's fancies #12: fashionably inspi(RED).

friday's fancies #12: fashionably inspi(RED) christmas party. by siddathornton featuring a short coat

this lovely, cold december evening will be spent with my coworkers at our office christmas party!

link-up: friday's fancies at {long distance loving}



winter reads.

how to be a gentleman (john bridges)
imperfect birds (anne lamott)
the good earth (pearl s. buck)
wench (dolen perkins-valdez)
the imperfectionists (tom rachman)
then came you (jennifer weiner)
the white castle of louisiana (m.r. ailenroc)