september inspiration.

LINK LOVE: This post showcasing famous authors' handwritten notes and outlines of their novels. I find these extra inspiring and so cool to look at. My favorite (though I may be a bit biased) is J.K. Rowling's.

This photoessay by James Mollison on where children sleep around the world. Very fascinating and humbling as well.

The Confezioni Crosby S/S 13 collection, featuring gorgeous colors and soft fabrics that almost made me sad summer is ending.

1. black and white 2. i've had it up to here 3. fall color scheme 4. city sunrise 5. the queen and her 70's flair 6. funny & funnier 7. sweater weather 8. sunlight and printed curtains 9+10. braids, red lips, and lots of layers 11. right from the start 12. don't call me daughter  13. in bloom 14. to remember 15. picturesque.

*click through for photo sources.

the anthem // music monday.

brb just found my anthem.
where has this song been all my life?

xx 

isabelle

rediscovered // music monday.

i thought i'd mix in this week's music monday with an outfit post. it's a two for one deal! lately i've been loving both this song by the strokes and these shoes from aldo. i'd forgotten about these boots for most of the winter and have just recently started wearing them again. i absolutely love rediscovering old favorites and am looking forward to falling in love with all my summer clothes again. i'm also experimenting with some new layout choices for this post and i think i quite like them. what do you guys think?

what i wore: gap jacket, nordstrom tee and bag, urban outfitters jeans, h&m scarf, aldo booties, spitfire sunglasses.

xx
isabelle

may inspiration.

1. sunglasses in the city 2. a may mantra 3. outdoor nooks 4. nothing but pasta salad 5. red lips and soft curls 6. daily entertainment 7. spidery lashes and bright colors

*click through for photo sources.

music monday.

welcome to a new feature on the chicagoenne called music monday! i'm a big fan of music but i also tend to get bored of songs quite quickly. this means that i'm always on the hunt for new tunes. every monday i'll share the song (or songs) i've been obsessed with from the past week. lately i've been loving sonnentanz by klangkarussell. now that the weather is warming up i'm dreaming of spending more time outside, and this song is perfect for that.

lumberjack.

oh wow it's been a while. we've certainly got some catching up to do. how've you been? i've been in the midst of an internet/social networking detox and i think it's finally winding down. i'm ready to get back into blogging and with summer coming up i'll have enough time on my hands to really invest myself. if i'm being honest these pictures are from way back in february and it's pretty embarrassing that i'm only getting to posting them now. stay tuned for more lovely teenage angst pictures.

what i wore: flannel from my dad, zara shirt, urban outfitters jeans and boots, vintage watch, leather bracelet from p.49.

february inspiration.

1. winged liner and pink cheeks. 2. pink tulle and french braids. 3. whatever. 4. dream home, future home. 5. say anything. 6. winter walks and no one else around. 7. long necklaces and baby pink. 8. you're a peach. 9. heart-shaped everything.

i'm still trying to figure out how january ended because honestly i was supposed to do like ninety-three other things this month. hopefully february isn't the same.

*click through for photo sources

the anti-lazy.

i've always had this really cute problem that involves lots of wasted time and zero motivation in my day to day life. in other words, i suffer from i'lldoitlater syndrome and, apparently, this is a pretty common thing among like 63.97% of the general population. i mentioned in my 2013 resolutions post that i really wanted to stop procrastinating this year, so naturally i am getting to this no less than 33 days after i said i would. most of my days involve far too much time spent on tumblr thinking i'm too cool for school, and, though i love tumblr, there are probably better ways i could spend my time (she says on her blog). as this is currently my junior year of high school, the amount of time i have to waste is dwindling by the day and i knew i had to get a handle on it somehow. i came with this idea and it couldn't be simpler.

the only things you need to create this little d.i.y project are a pen, some post-its, and any sort of container. this candy jar has been lying around my room empty for a while, and both me and my mother were getting tired of seeing it on my floor. in a past life it was full of jelly beans from dylan's candy bar, and it was just begging for a shining spot on my desk. the page flags are from girl of all work, but any thin slip of paper will work.

once you've got everything, it's just a matter of coming up with ways you wish you could spend your time. for me, this was basically everything from my resolutions post. i did throw some many multiples in there (a LOT of "write a blog post") and the occasional random thing like go to the lake with the dog and run or whatever. anything you feel like you need just a little extra motivation to actually do.

next, just fold the slips. fold in the inner third so that the sticky side faces up, then press the other side down so that the two sides stick together and the slip stays folded shut. toss them into the jar after that and keep going until you've filled up your jar as much as you like.

et voilà! i keep my jar in the corner of my desk so it's always visible and nagging me. whenever i'm bored or feel like i'm doing absolutely nothing i pull out a slip and do whatever is written down on it. so far, it's worked pretty well and even provided me with the motivation to write this blog post. in my book, that's a true success.

but wait! there's more! i picked up these two books at urban outfitters earlier this month and think they are quite fantastic. 642 things to write about and my future listography are great for quick bursts of inspiration whenever you're feeling tired and uninspired. what are your favorite ways to stay productive?

zero.

winter is finally here and i couldn't be happier. earlier this week the temperature finally hit zero and we had our first snow of 2013, otherwise known as a pretty damn good day. it's been snowing steadily for the rest of the week and i have been savoring it nonstop. i've always preferred the cold and am crossing my fingers in hopes of more days like this. nothing like fresh snow in an alley cheers me up quite the same.