twenty thirteen and some resolutions.

[image from chibird]

even though i'm 93.6% sure that this picture will capture my new year in a nutshell, i'm sharing my new year's resolutions on the internet in the hopes that it will remind me to actually stick to them. i am notorious for saying that i'll do something and then forgetting it exists (example one: this blog) and, honestly, it's becoming tiring and i'm ready to change that. so, without further ado...

1. i'm really looking forward to getting back into blogging in 2013. i'm going to revamp the design a bit and change the way i blog. i'm ready to do a bit more of whatever i feel inspired by at the moment instead of just style posts. i'm also setting a goal of one blog post a day which i hope will keep me a bit more consistent than i've been haha. 2. i'm starting my new year's cleaning tomorrow and will share some of the things i do to redesign my room in the future. 3. i have always loved writing and used to write nearly every day when i was younger and had more time. lately i have stopped completely and am looking to change that.

4. i'm hoping to change my lifestyle choices in 2013. i definitely want to start exercising regularly and eating healthier. in addition, i want to start using more all natural products and do the most to take good care of myself and the planet. 5. i'm thinking of taking a photography class in 2013 to build skills and would love to take pictures daily. 6. most of my day to day life looks exactly like the picture at the beginning of this post. i spend far too much time lying around on my computer wasting time (which is ironic to write on a blog, i know). i want to stop waiting for things to happen and actually do something productive to make life a bit more interesting.

7. when i was younger, i read ravenously and that has disappeared as i've grown older. i got a couple new books for christmas that i'm really excited to read and will try to keep that up throughout the year. i also want to discover as much good music as possible and go to more concerts in 2013. 8. i value the importance of giving back and am disappointed in myself for not doing much this year. i'm excited to try to volunteer more in 2013. 9. i used to bake frequently, but since i've started high school i haven't found the time to do it. there are tons of recipes bookmarked to my computer that i hope i'll find time to work through and feature on the blog. 10. i absolutely love travelling but due to school and the fact that i can't really voyage on my own yet, i'm not able to do it as often as i like. i'm looking to explore places in chicago that i've never been too despite having lived here for so long in order to make up for this.

that was quite the lengthy and long winded blog post, but i'm quite pleased with it and am excited to write more like these in the new year. during my last hours of 2012 i watched the ball drop with my brother and ate sprinkles cupcakes my mother so kindly picked up for us today. i hope that you all have a great new year's eve and a terrific start to 2013.

happy new year!

xmas.

wishing you all a very merry christmas and happy holidays!

and a big thank you for supporting this blog.
it's a pretty fantastic christmas gift.

american.

i realize it's been close to a century since i've posted, but between finals and the holidays and life and school and everything else i have been drained of all inspiration and motivation. it is much more difficult than i thought to keep up with both trigonometry and a blog and i'm sure it would not surprise anyone to know which one i would rather be doing. so i decided that i had to get at least one post up before the world ends tomorrow just in case. enjoy!

what i wore: aritzia denim shirt, gap shirt, j brand jeans, urban outfitters boots, vintage ring.

shadows.

i'm sorry for having been m.i.a. this past week. my life currently involves a heinous amount of math homework and it's actually quite depressing. i'm desperately counting down the days until thanksgiving because even an hour off would be praised at this point. it's also getting fairly difficult for me to take pictures. now that the days are shorter, i rarely get home before dark and wind up with these unnatural looking things that render me ghostly. short of beckoning the sun to stay, i haven't been able to find a solution. any tips?

what i wore: splendid sweater, agnes b. skirt, aldo boots.

to marissa.

i stole this coat from my good friend marissa back in september and she graciously let me keep it. it's become one of my favorite things to wear during fall and i definitely owe her one. clothes sharing is pretty much the number one way i revitalize my wardrobe when it starts to become a little dull, and i'm lucky enough to have friends with excellent senses of style who are open to letting me borrow (and sometimes keep) way more often than i should. but hey, as long as there are great clothes to go around, i'm positive sharing them is absolutely fine.

what i wore: gap jacket, band of gypsies top, zara jeans, urban outfitters boots.

brisk.

i am overjoyed at the fact that it is finally cold enough for me to pull out my winter coats. anyone who knows me is aware that i love the cold and winter months more than anything. i blame this on growing up in chicago and going through blizzards early on in my life. this coat is one of my favorites because it's thin but warm, perfect for november. it may be a little strange that i'm this excited about pulling my coats out from storage, but if the little things in life make you happy, i'm all good.

what i wore: delia's coat, vintage shirt, lily white skirt, urban outfitters boots.

knit.

i spent my day with jen of elephant's hide watching grey's anatomy reruns and making these beauties from a pastry affair. besides being incredibly talented, she's also hilarious and her blog is definitely worth stopping by. otherwise, i've been listening to this in its entirety on repeat and tacking more pictures on my wall for the past half hour. tonight is the inaugural weekly family movie night my dad has decided to start, which should certainly prove to be interesting seeing as we still haven't picked a movie. hope you all have a great weekend and i loved hearing about all your halloween plans!

what i wore: gap sweater, urban outfitters dress and shoes, hue socks.

halloween.

happy halloween! i spent the day dressed as a witch minus the hat, which equaled utter confusion from most people. nonetheless, the day went by pretty well, and i ended it eating / stealing most of the candy meant for the trick-or-treaters. i don't have school over the next two days and am more than ready to spend some time relaxing after all the stress of this month. halloween was definitely a great way to get sstarted. hope you all have a great night!

what i wore: bcbg poncho, uniqlo top, thrifted skirt, k. bell socks, urban outfitters boots, guess ring.

shimmer.

this weekend was fairly stressful due to the boatload of work i had to do. i get two days off of school this week and they couldn't come at a better time. between midterms and everything else going on, i'm pretty sure you could feel the amount of stress in the air around my school. i think we're all looking forward to four days of pure relaxation and recuperation. otherwise, hurricane sandy is sending cold fronts, choppy lakes, and an early winter to chicago, which can't even begin to compare to those in the midst of the storm. to anyone on the east coast: be safe!

what i wore: velvet cardigan, vintage top, agnes b. skirt, urban outfitters shoes, nordstrom belt.

the xx.

i went to see the xx last week with my friend, jen, and the show was so amazing that i thought i would share a couple pictures from the night. they were absolutely fantastic live, and i must say, it's pretty disappointing to be sitting at home today instead of listening to this being played 50 feet away from me.

collar.

things have been quiet around here lately. i was sick all weekend and didn't get much of anything done. the only time i left the house was on saturday to go to an xx concert. i got tickets for my birthday back in september and wasn't going to let anything stop me from going. they were absolutely amazing live and, if i ever get to it, i'll share some pictures soon. now that things are going back to normal, i'm going to try to blog more regularly and get more involved. fingers crossed that i actually do.

what i wore: gap sweater, maison scotch shirt, zara jeans, urban outfitters booties.

stripe.

i'm sorry for the lack of posts this week! with psat testing and near constant rain and two papers due time managed to disappear fairly quickly. now that the madness is over, i'm ready for this weekend to be as calm and quiet as it can possibly be. naturally, this is much easier said than done and would be much more calming if i wasn't sick as well. i'm set for this weekend will turn the downward spiral of my week back around as fast as possible.

one last thing, i didn't get many good pictures for this post since a bird decided to use my tripod as a perch and, well, slight mayhem ensued. but, oh well, it makes for a good story.

what i wore: urban outfitters shirt, zara jeans, aldo booties, spitfire sunglasses.