Afternoonin'

My camera was feeling a little neglected (so it told me), so I decided to take it outside for a little action. Low and behold, it works as well as ever. Now the only thing that could use some practice are my photography skills. And my editing skills. And my blogging skills. 

Hey, nobody's perfect.

by Sam

Currently Craving

Jeffrey Campbell strikes again. 

Oh my goodness. If there is such a thing as a boot-gasm, I have one every time I look at these beauties. Literally-- I'm drooling. I keep refreshing the page, wondering, "does such a wonderful combination of leather and studs exist?" and "how many meals and coffees will I have to give up in the next year to be able to afford these?"

There isn't an outfit I can dream of that wouldn't look good with Free People's Dodge City Boot or Vedder Boot. With dresses, with jeans, with skirts, with knit socks, hell, I'd wear these and nothing else (maybe). 

I've been thinking about these boots more frequently than a hormonal fifteen year old thinks about the captain of the football team. And let's face it, that's like all the time. 

*le sigh*

Delightful.

images via freepeople.com and BLDG 25 Blog

by Sam

PS. (Can you add a PS in a blog?)

I'm also currently obsessed with FP's July catalog. Just sayin'.

Summer Daze

A cliche title for a cliche post on the beauty of summer. I was scrolling through Vogue Italia's website (the usual) when I happened upon photographer Ambra Pegorari's portfolio. Some of the images were too beautiful to not share; they ooze summer time sweetness and remind me of how much I love long sunny days spent outside. These are definitely the kind of photos I would love to be able to take one day. 

Speakin of summer, I've also decided to go on a bit of a summer detox, considering I am still carrying the freshman fifteen and feeling quite large. It's nothing as drastic as a cleanse, but there will be a lot of hot yoga and tea involved. I'm excited.

images via Vogue Italia

by Sam

A Case of the Lazies

Lazy Day by bamitssam03 featuring a black bag


This morning I woke up fully intending to conquer the ever-growing number of things on my to-do list, beginning with a trip to the gym, followed by the 6 piles of laundry I have leftover from unpacking from college, followed by phone calls to boring insurance agents. Instead, I spent my day watching three episodes of "Law and Order SVU" and last night's "Jeopardy," downloading new music, reading my brother's copy of the Sherlock Holmes volumes, and baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Of course there was some intermittent blog stalking and online window shopping, but ultimately my ass has been firmly glued to my couch  since about 9AM. Surprisingly, I don't feel as guilty as I thought I would for coming down with a case of the lazies, perhaps because I've been to the gym everyday since I returned home from college. Maybe I'll regret my inactivity tomorrow when I step on the scale (because when I say I was "baking cookies" I really mean that half of the cookie dough went into the oven and the other half went into my tummy), but alas there's nothing I can do about it now.


Anyway, this is totally the kind of outfit I would've worn today if I had actually left the house. I've been loving mixed prints as of late, and am craving a good (comfortable) pair of basic heels. Too bad I can't afford them (or anything).
Why am I so poor??
Oh yeah, college.
#minimumwagesucks

by Sam

Insta-Sam: Week of 5/6

{An early Mother's Day gift-- Macaroons from Bottega Louie}

{The beautiful pastry display!}

{Baking caramel sandwich cookies}

{I've been missin' those baby browns. #theonlyguyforme}

{Cool henna art--please ignore the chipped nails}

Here are a few snaps from my LA adventures. I began the week off right with a classy brunch at my new favorite LA restaurant/patisserie, Bottega Louie. A pleasant weekend spent at home baking my own sweet treats was the perfect post-midterm celebration. 

by Sam

American Glamour

I've recently rediscovered my passion for interior design (thank you, HGTV), and have been scouring the internet looking for the best design blogs. Rather than surfing fashion blogs per usual, I've enjoyed gazing at beautifully decorated homes and apartments, and now I'm itching to move into my own apartment so I can let my creative juices flow freely. 

Alas, it seems that I will be trapped living the dorm life for the next year, so I won't get the chance to decorate quite yet. 

These rooms in particular are some of my favorites by designer Michelle Workman, who describes the style of this SoCal home as "American Glamour."

How lovely.

images via Michelle Workman's Website

by Sam

Broken Promises

{This photo seemed appropriate enough for the semi-serious nature of this post; but in reality I just like it 'cause it's pretty}

Promises to yourself are the hardest to keep. 

Especially when you're a perfectionist and a control freak--basically your standard Type-A worry wart. I've made so many promises to myself since the beginning of my college career that I can't even begin to count how many I've made, broken, and then recanted. They mostly pertain to goals that I've set for myself such as maintaining this blog, losing weight (AKA learning to deal with binge eating disorder), and maintaining both grades and a social life. Looking back, I see that these goals were lofty and idealistic; not really something I could use will power alone to overcome. They're also more like long-term processes that need to be accomplished with much self-discipline, hard work, and motivation. 

So that's why I've chosen a different approach. Rather than promises, that seem like a pass or fail kind route to accomplishing my goals, I'm going to focus on effort, celebrating the little achievements, and simply living life a day at time.

As cheese-tastic as this may sound, it's a step in the right direction for me. It's a blog post for one, but it's also a promise to myself to stop seeing things in black and white; it's a self-reflection on the methods of the past that haven't worked out for me. It's a message to keep in mind on those days when binging on food seems like the only way out, or when I'm feeling too fat to even belong anywhere near the fashion industry. 

This, my friends, is the equivalent of that corny "keep your head up" kind of song that every artist feels compelled to release on his/her album. 

In the scheme of things, I've made mistakes-- back-tracked even-- but the point is that I'm trying. And as long as I have the motivation, I think I'll be alright.

Wow, you read all of this? Cheers, my friend. Thanks for not bailing on my page. 

Don't worry, be happy.

Image via tumblr

by Sam