in 2014, i resolve to...

a little peek at what i'm calling my 2014 Organizational Suite

Go to Church.

This is something that is important to both Justin & myself. I want to find a Church that we enjoy, feel comfortable at, & walk away from feeling inspired to live our best lives.

Do Yoga & Pilates each week.

If you've never felt that easier-to-breathe feeling that happens after doing a yoga or pilates class/DVD, you need to try it. Not only are these practices good for your body, I truly believe they are also good for your soul. For pilates, I love Blogilates. I'm still in the market for a good yoga program, but I'm going to research that tomorrow I think.

Ease into a Paleo lifestyle.

I've been reading up on the health benefits of this type of diet & lifestyle, & I'm eager to try it. For the majority of 2013, I wrestled with acne-prone skin. In actuality, I don't think my skin has been completely clear in over a year & a half, & I don't know why. Granted, I should probably get myself to the dermatologist, which I fully intend to do, but I think cutting dairy out of my diet would do nothing but help. Where have I turned to for Paleo inspiration? Here & here. I'm not going to pretend this isn't also about weight loss. In short, I'm tired of fighting with my body. I'm in a much better place than I've been in years past, but I'm ready to make a permanent, positive change to my lifestyle.

Run.

It is a big goal of mine to run a half marathon in 2014. I've already scoped out the training plan I'd like to follow, & I think I'm going to start it next week. Due to some big changes coming up, I don't know exactly when or where I'll be running this half marathon, but I'm just going to start training for it & go with the flow. There are changes coming to my blog that will reflect my running journey, so be on the lookout for that in the next few days or so.

Consistently take care of myself.

This sounds weird, I know. But sometimes I really slack on taking care of myself. I can't tell you how much I've improved on my before-bed routine. Switching to showering at night was a huge help, & I greatly look forward to crawling into bed clean each night. But there are weeks where I don't fix my hair, & it can be found hanging out as a curly mess on my head. This isn't conducive to my feeling especially wonderful, & it has been known to launch me into some particularly prickly ruts. I won't go much further into this, but I will say that I often shortchange myself when it comes to this category, & I plan to make a big change regarding this in the coming year.

Allow myself to evolve.

I can't tell you how much I over think whether or not I should allow myself to change. I have all of these weird notions in my head about who exactly I'm trying to be at any given moment, & to tell you the truth, I feel like that's really unhealthy. This year, I resolve to let go of those pre-conceived notions & simply allow myself to evolve into my best self. Sounds easy enough, right?

Immerse myself in music & make playlists.

Now, this one I'm really excited about. I go through phases with music: sometimes I'm ravenously hanging by its thread, waiting for something to come out that's going to change my life, be my theme song, make me cry; other times, I'm all, meh... whatev. This year, I want to be the former. I've written before about how music can take me away to another place & time, & in 2014, I want that. I want to, in the future, hear this year's songs & be immediately transported back to the year I turned twenty-eight.

Develop my hobbies: knitting, crocheting, metal-stamping, stationery-printing, & monogramming.

I keep putting these things off. In fact, at the beginning of pretty much every year since I learned to knit (thanks, Diane!) in 2011, I've always wanted to make Christmas gifts for people. And I have done that a couple of times, but I want to make this more of a thing in the coming years, & there's no time to start like the present.

Maintain my composition notebook diaries & planners.

As you can see from the photo above, I plan to use a lot of different types of planners/diaries this year - 5, to be exact. I'm planning to write a post about my Organizational Suite for this year, so be on the lookout for that. I'm really excited about this system, & I really hope it sticks!

Send correspondence.

I love handwritten letters, & I want to give that joy to others. This will also help with one of my other resolutions, which I'll discuss later in this list.

Work on the Treasure Catalogue with my Mom.

Right now, this project is still in the discussion phase, since I didn't get to work on it during our trip to Shreveport like I had planned. I'm really excited about this, though!

Read.

I've set a Goodreads goal of 24 books this year, & I'm excited to reach that goal. Ever since my reading hiatus, my passion for books has been thrown into sharp relief. I now plan to always make time for reading, no matter how full my schedule gets.

Cook.

If I'm going to try to ease into a Paleo lifestyle, this is going to be necessary. To tell you the truth, though I don't cook often, when I do, it brings me great joy.

Go out with Justin.

Living so far from family & friends gives us constant permission to eat takeout on the couch in front of the TV. This year, I want us to focus more on celebrating our relationship & taking the time to go out on dates. I think this will be fun for both of us, & I know we'll be seeing a lot of movies!

Collect gift inspiration throughout the year.

I'm already ahead of the game on this resolution, & I'm excited to keep it up. Gift-giving should bring about feelings of joy, not stress. I'm opting for joy in each gift I give this year, & putting a stop to procrastination is the key.

Finish Christmas shopping the second week of December.

Going hand-in-hand with the list item right above, I plan to have all the shopping done by this time. The ultimate goal here is to collect gifts throughout the year, possibly even wrapping them ahead of time [and labeling them so I remember what they are, of course!].

Plan ahead.

I could go on & on about this one & why it's important to me this year, but I'm just going to let it be self-explanatory.

Nurture my relationships - especially family.

This one may be far down on the list, but its importance is colossal to me in this new year. As I discussed in the "Go out with Justin" portion of this list, living far away from friends & family allows this sort of pass, which I easily fall into, but do not like the results of. It's so easy for me to fold in on myself, relish being at a distance & uninvolved... but ultimately, this is not the way I want to be, or the kind of friend I wish to be. Being introverted at my core, socializing & keeping up sometimes drains me, even though I wish to be different. My social skills - namely, being more outgoing & friendly - is way up there on my goals for this year.

Work on - in a BIG way - handling stress & anxiety.

I've grown in leaps & bounds in this category where air travel is concerned. And I owe a great deal of that ease to the discovery of Brave Flyer. And though I've begun overcoming this particular hurdle, it seems to have given way to some pretty extreme & unpredictable highway anxiety. Though I've unlocked a major key to what triggers my anxiety - caffeine - there are still times when I can't prevent it or make it go away. I'm going to work on that this year, & hopefully, by this time next year, I'll be able to write about how I'm more at ease.

What do you resolve to do in this brand new year that lies before us? 

Please do share - I'd love to hear your goals!

a little wish list: miscellaneous items.

sweater | necklace | camera | bag | shoes | clutch

Even though I'm sharing this list with you on April Fool's Day, I'm not kidding when I say I'd love to add any - or all - of these items to my repertoire. 

see other wish lists here:

drug store wish list

high end wish list

a little wish list: high end beauty products.

bronzer | base | highlighter | bioderma | flushed | polish | MSF | lip pencil | basics | multiple | smudge pot | blush | lipstick

Back at the end of the January, I put together the drug store beauty edition of my little wish list series. Today I'm bringing you the high end version. And apparently, I'm really jonesing for some cheek products.

FACE | Ever since its explosion onto the YouTube beauty scene, I have been wishing for Bioderma. Ever on the hunt for ways to improve my skincare regimen, this product is extremely attractive to me. It's true: I have previously owned the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation, & I am really wanting to go back there. The coverage is the perfect mix of wait, you have acne? & wait, you have on foundation? 

CHEEKS | Ok, everyone, here is where I go a little crazy in terms of wishing. I have a grand total of six high end cheek products depicted here. And yes, I really do think my makeup collection would benefit from all of them. Here's why. I currently own Laura Geller's Blush-N-Brighten in Honey Dipped, & I find it to be gorgeous, shimmery, lit-from-within goodness. Obviously, this means I would love the corresponding Bronze-N-Brighten. Plus, Emily suggested it, & Emily is never wrong. Another Emily suggestion? The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer. My recent interest in highlighting products explains that selection, as well as both MAC's MSF in Soft & Gentle & the Nars Multiple in Copacabana. My single blush selection for this list comes by way of Chelsea of ChelseaWears [who, by the way, is hilarious]. She raved about Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed, comparing it to Nars Douceur [which I've always wanted to try]. Rounding out the cheeks category, we have a product that combines the bronzer, blush, & highlight aspects: Urban Decay's Naked Flushed. Not firmly depicted here is my want of more creamy cheek products. So yeah, there's that. There's actually more makeup I want.

NAILS | Speaking of ChelseaWears, in her recent Looking Forward to Spring series, she has been wearing the most beautiful nail polish I've ever seen. And that happens to be China Glaze's Peachy Keen. I want this to be my signature Spring 2013 color. I need to make this happen. Oh, & by the way, Chelsea blogs, too. Check her out here.

EYES | Ever since I really got into makeup in 2010, I've wanted to add Stila's Kitten eye shadow to my collection. Since I love a good cream eye base, I figure, why not try it out in Smudge Pot form? And honestly, people, I own both the Naked & Naked 2 palettes from Urban Decay, so do I really need the Naked Basics palette as well? Probably not, but it would expand my minimal matte shadows collection. And that's important. Right?

LIPS | It just wouldn't be a proper wish list without lip products, so here's what I'm feeling at the moment: MAC's Lip Pencil in Whirl [which is described as dirty rose], paired with MAC's Creme In Your Coffee lipstick. I have been wanting that lipstick for ages, & the good news is that, after I de-pot a few of my eye shadows, I may have enough items to do Back-To-MAC.

Love wish lists? Check out the drug store edition here. And my fashion/miscellaneous edition is coming soon, so be on the lookout! As mentioned in the drug store edition, as I [hopefully] acquire these products, I plan to review them here on this blog, complete with opinions on effectiveness & general loveliness &, of course, what I consider to be gorgeous detail shots of the packaging & product itself.

What high end beauty products do you swear by? Please do share - I'm ever on a search for new items to buy wish for.

what kind of person do i want to become?

yesterday, i sat down with a pad of paper & a pen & wrote the words,  

'what kind of person do i want to become?' at the top of the page. 

being a person who is conflicted about their career, 

obviously it would follow that i am also unsure 

about exactly the kind of person i'd like to grow into. 

in response to my self-imposed question, 

i came up with some answers. here they are...

someone who is quick-witted.

someone who is in great physical shape. 

someone is a great blogger - who can inspire people through sharing ordinary life & pretty photos.

someone with a successful career.

someone who is a morning person.

someone who cooks dinner. 

someone who reads every day. 

someone who is healthy, but knows how & when to indulge.

someone with good fashion sense, who always looks put-together.

someone who is crafty & creative.

someone who is a great listener, who has a great relationship with family & friends.

some of these goals have obvious fixes, but others are not so clean-cut. 

i'm not sure where some of these goals are going to take me, 

but i know they'll serve as a excellent jumping-off point - a great inspiration.

a little wish list: drug store beauty products.

revlon foundation | rimmel foundation | concealer | powder | highlighter | eye shadow | color stick | lip gloss | lip butter | nail polish

with the amount of youtube beauty videos i watch from day to day, i have quite a formidable products wish list forming in my iphone notes. today, i thought i'd share a few of the drug store selections i'm currently eyeing. if i'm lucky enough to scoop some of these products up over the next few months, i'll go ahead & review them here on the blog for anyone who may be interested, complete with pretty detail photos taken with our new camera [i know... i'm obsessed]!

FACE | the revlon colorstay foundation for combo/oily skin has topped my list of favorite drug store foundations since i first applied it. and since the whipped creme makeup variety has gotten stellar reviews from my go-to youtube beauty gurus, of course i want to try it & compare with the original. as for the rimmel clean finish matte foundation, this is also one i will want to try due to my love for its counterpart: the original clean finish 100% poreless foundation. since my skin leans toward the oily side in the warmer months, i'll be purchasing the matte variety to tame the glow of my summer time skin. i'm not crazed with my current concealer routine, & through the recommendation of emilynoel83, the revlon photoready stick concealer currently tops my drugstore concealer wish list. glowing recommendations urge me to pick up the rimmel stay matte powder. i will more than likely choose the translucent selection. rounding out the face category is a bronzer by hard candy, in the shade tiki. this shade isn't being shown online, but i know i have seen it in my local wal-mart. and i don't plan to use this as a bronzer - i plan to use it as a cheekbone highlight. 

EYES | due to my overflowing eye shadow stash, i only felt the need to wish for one item in this category. another emily recommendation, the hard candy baked eye shadow duo in high maintenance is one i plan to scoop up immediately, especially since it's showing as unavailable online [i know i've seen it in my local wal-mart, though].

LIPS | here is where the bulk of my wishing lies right now. notice a trend? all three of my lip wishes fall into the nude category, something i never would have dared to think a year ago. i used to think this genre of lip products gave off a rather lifeless appearance, but i have since learned it's all in how it's applied. i'm looking forward to testing my technique on these shades. the one i'm wishing for most, you ask? the neutrogena moisture smooth color stick in warm caramel.

NAILS | both of these selections were inspired by photos. my friend, anna claire, is currently loving essie's fiji, & due to how beautiful it looked on her, i am jonesing for it to be part of my collection. and sand tropez? it's long been on my list, but a photo i saw over the weekend catapulted it to the top of my list.

love wish lists? be on the lookout - i have more coming up in the next few weeks. there will be a high end beauty edition, as well as a fashion edition, for my little wish list series.

a fragrance-frenzied wish list.

dior hypnotic poison | viktor & rolf flowerbomb | philosophy falling in love | tocca brigitte

to me, there is nothing like un-boxing a brand new perfume you've been gifted for christmas & immediately spraying it on your wrists, neck, & the scarf you're probably wearing. it's like an instant memory being made: from that point forward, every time you wear that scent, you're reminded of the christmas scene that was dancing before your eyes when you got your first big whiff of it. 

that's why i believe a fragrance is one of the best christmas gifts to give.

in the spirit of the christmas season now officially being in full swing, i decided to put together a little wish list of fragrances i'm craving. i tend to go for warm, sweet, musky, woodsy scents, & most of those pictured here fall somewhat in those categories. the only one shown here that i have not yet had the pleasure of dousing myself with, is the tocca selection. i once smelled it in an anthropologie two years ago, & i have never forgotten it. i tend to believe that means i'm meant to have it in my collection one day.

which scents are you craving for christmas?

wishes for this weekend.

to be filled with easy joy.

to have a lovely time at my shower.

to have beautiful, curly hair.

to consume many sweet confections.

to experience crisp, cool weather.

to take many, many photos.

 

 

festive fall finds | the sunday currently | food + music | where we belong | 26: an update

 

photo: afternoon run \ instagram

friday's fancies #42: festive fall finds.

sweater | shirt | mug | scarf | boots | loafers | bag | ring

can i pretty please have all of these items? the cozy cable knit sweater conjures thoughts of bonfires & halloween candy. the slouchy shirt, thoughts of saturdays curled up on the couch, reading my favorite book. i'd happily sip sweet caffeine confections out of this edgar allan poe nevermore mug. some think cold-weather clothes are frumpy, but i think this festive scarf could convince them otherwise. the season of falling leaves absolutely wouldn't be complete without a good, solid, go-to boot... & i'll take this selection in every color. and for a bit more polish, throwing on these glittery loafers would do the trick. the big bag of my dreams would sit perfectly on my arm, complementing the warm colors of fall,
with a touch of navy & eggplant. and that ring... that whimsical, nostalgic ring.
 
what are you dreaming of this fall?

share your finds here.





a wilmington wish list.

 

here's a little list of things i hope justin & i can get

around to doing as we wrap up 2012 in our brand new city.

1. eat some delectable sea food at catch. justin was lucky enough to try this place out with one of his coworkers last week. his excitement over how great the food was, was all i needed to hear: i can't wait.

2. get our apartment decorated. want to see the design aesthetic i prefer? i think it's best described as ecclectic romantic. check it out here.

3. go for a long run at my park. i have been stalking hugh macrae park ever since justin started interviewing in the wilmington area. and now that i've researched it online a bit, i can tell it's already so much more than i could gather by peering into it from oleander drive. i can't wait to run, walk, & explore in this park.

4. go christmas shopping at mayfaire towne center. although my experience with this cute little shopping center is limited to a delicious meal at tokyo 101 & admiring all of its shops [& starbucks!] as justin & i cruised down military cutoff road, i already know i am going to feel at home there. absolutely cannot wait to pop into its j.crew or ulta... & to discover some new favorites. oh, & they have a barnes & noble. and a bath & body works. need i go on?

5. ride the ferry from south port to bald head island & see old baldy, north carolina's oldest standing lighthouse. have i told you about my love of lighthouses? no? well, i love lighthouses.

6. play a round of golf at one of these places. and by play a round of golf, i mean ride in the cart while justin plays a round of golf. and also, try every once in a while to hit the ball [and actually make it go up into the air, instead of it rolling like a bowling ball across the grass].

7. attend church services at some different places. we are hoping to get more involved in our community once we are both back in the same place. i think church would be a great way to meet & get to know some people!

8. get starbucks sunday & go for a stroll on the beach. no explanation necessary.

justin, i hope you're gearing up to take on all of these activities once we're back in the same city.
and after we complete these things, we'll be making a 2013 wilmington wish list! get excited!

photo: wilmington \ instagram

*special thanks to megan from my wilmington nc - great, helpful blog!

wishes for this weekend.

- to catch up on this girl's blog. and this one. and this one. and this one. and, many more.

- to go here & sit, laptop present in order to carry out my first wish, & sip on one of these.

- to cruise on the boat out here. summer days on the lake are such a fond family memory.

- to finish this book & get started on this one.

- to make another to-do list regarding this event, probably focused on the tasks mentioned in this post.

- to go on a long run & enjoy scenery like this.

- to go through the favorites i've saved here & catch up on the articles i've collected.

- to find myself planted firmly in this mind-set.

honestly, i just cannot express my excitement over the
hopefully relaxing & productive weekend that lies ahead.

tuesday - two months! & happy first birthday, siddathornton!

wednesday - to mr. & mrs. colomb!

thursday - on dancing like crazy.

friday - wishes for this weekend.



wishes for this weekend.

- to enjoy every tiny little moment of my friend jenny's wedding this weekend. i am secretly hoping her send-off will look just like this.

- to rock out to this song in the car on the drive to & from new orleans.

- to enjoy the road trip (like i always do) with this girl.

- to re-create this hair look for jenny's big day.

- to rock this lip color, like i did for new orleans wedding weekend, round one.

- to keep this kind of mind-set.

monday - a tiny peek into a southern louisiana wedding.

tuesday - the view.

wednesday - the beauty of early-morning wake-ups.

thursday - currents.

friday - wishes for this weekend.

here's to another beautiful, festive wedding weekend in south louisiana!



kara in paris + my random european wish list.

my sister is in paris, france! i am extremely jealous of her, but also extremely excited. luckily, she has been able to upload some photos to facebook, so i thought i would share some of them here. while she's there, i plan to share little updates here & there about what she's doing & where she's going.

above she can be viewed jet-laggedly posing in front of the fontaine de saint michel. not only is this kara's first trip overseas, it was also her first experience flying. ever. she describes the jet lag as follows:

'hopefully i will feel normal again soon & not like 

some monster who feels like they're constantly swaying.'

from what she told me, it sounds like she has quite the picturesque paris experience mapped out. i can't wait to write more about her adventures, & of course, share her photos [and let the jealousy continue].

that's right. when my sister asked me what i wanted her to pick up 

for me while she was off galavanting in paris, i responded:

'a light, floral print summer scarf... or a chic, vintage cross body bag.'

photo: fontaine de saint michel, paris, france \ courtesy of kara

the summer i craved dark polishes.

as i was perusing the beauty aisles at wal mart the other day 

(a favorite pastime of mine here in kinston), 

i noticed there were quite a few polishes i was looking at & thinking, 

you will soon be mine. not today, but soon. 

i thought i'd put together a little compendium of them - 

perhaps aiding you in your own quest for laquer love? 

some of them are admittedly off-season, but humor me here, ok?

like i mentioned before, i realize the faux pas i'm committing

by letting dark, sparkly polishes dominate my wish list,

especially at the very beginning of summer time.

but i just can't seem to help myself.

maybe i'll just have to give bright polishes a rain check for now.

april wish list.

april wishlist. by siddathornton featuring leopard shoes

since spring is now upon us in full force, i'm feeling inspired by bright hues. 

that's why so many of my wish list items for this month pack a colorful punch.

here are the things i'm wishing for in april...

1. sunglasses.

right now i am wearing a poor, battered pair of black shades. spring is the perfect time to amp it up, both in color & fun-factor! i love these teal elvissa c shades - not to mention, they're quite inexpensive.

2. cream blush.

i've been eyeing the nyx cream blushes for what feels like ages. i'll go into ulta, pick one up, mull over the purchase, then put it back down. i plan to change that this month. i've also become intrigued by some blushes of the cream variety on two ends of the expense spectrum: i'd be equally happy with either a top shop cream blush or a kevyn aucoin cream blush. decisions, decisions.

3. scarves, bright & floral.

i am something of a scarf fiend. my collection enjoys residence in an entire drawer of my wardrobe. but... i feel some bright & floral friends should join the party. i love this kate spade sailor stripe yellow scarf, as well as this pastel floral h&m scarf.

4. a good neon accessory.

everyone knows neon is all the rage right now, & i am craving it in accessory form. this river island neon strap satchel or this asos perspex clutch would certainly do the trick.

5. an established routine.

things have been a bit up in the air - shall we say - since i moved here. i'm ready for some normalcy, some security, & really, just some good ole fashioned routine.

6. healthy workout & eating habits.

you may not know this about me, but my workout & eating habits range from look how well you're treating your body, to stop eating the crap that is taco bell as if it is the ultimate in dining fare. with parties & weddings (and, ahem, SUMMER) right around the corner, it's time to re-invent myself. and this time, well... it sure would be nice if the good habits stuck.

7. loafers, especially of the animal print variety.

i've been eyeing animal print loafers with a ferocity unmatched in the animal kingdom. ok, well, maybe not that extreme, but i dare say, close. i'd also love a good, solid pair of penny loafers. i'm just in total love with loafers right now. while these charles philip shanghai sheila loafers in leopard satin may currently be out of my reach, i feel certain i could find some acceptable, more affordable, dupes.

8. revlon lip butter in the shade strawberry shortcake.

it seems as though many people i know have this shade, & while i was apprehensive at first about its lightness washing out my fair skin, i feel certain now that i want to try it. the problem? every time i set foot in a drug store (preferably walgreens), it is sold out, along with sweet tart, another shade i'm eyeing.

9. essie's turquoise & caicos.

this has been on my wish list for many, many months. i certainly am hoping to make it a reality this april.

10. make up for ever hd foundation.

after purchasing this in 2010, i was amazed at the results. i'm thinking about this for wedding day makeup. plus, it'd be nice to see it sitting on my makeup counter again, for daily use.

what are you wishing for in the fourth month of two thousand twelve?