“Surround yourself only with the things you love and watch your life change.”

This was the take away I gained from the several iterations of reading Marie Kondo’s book The Magic of Tidying Up. This precious angel of a woman is an undercover spiritual power house in all of her barely 5-foot, Japanese glory. She proposes that each item we fill our lives with is infused with spiritual energy that can either support us or weigh us down. In her book, she describes the process of surrounding yourself only with positive energy so that you can live in an uplifting space filled with things that “spark joy.”

I decided that this lifestyle sounded glorious, plus a closet clean out was already wayyy over due. As Marie instructed, I pulled out everything from each category of my belongings (ie all clothes, books, art supplies, etc.) and piled them onto my bed. I held each item in my hand and waited to see if through holding the item it sparked a feeling of love/joy/gratitude in my heart. If it did, I kept it! If it did not, I thanked it for the time it spent in my life and got rid of it. I followed this method until I had held everything I owned and verified it to spark joy.

I ran into a problem with big items not sparking joy in my living room. My couch is fine, but I definitely don’t feel any joy when I sit on it or look at it. The whole room is this way - almost joyful but not there yet. Since I spend the vast majority of my waking hours in this room, I felt that it truly ought to be a place of peace and inspiration. So with the mindset that you can build your life piece by piece, decision by decision, I decided to build my dream living space. So for the last few weeks I’ve spent time selling items to save up for the big pieces and gathered little items that fill me with joy. I created this vision board to help put my vision into existence.

I already have a few of these pieces and I feel the spacing coming together to inspire me (enough so that I actually am writing on my site again!). The table lamp (totally inspired by @lesolhose) and gorgeous Matisse print have done wonders for the space already. The sofa and mirror are the final big ticket items on my dream space list and I can’t wait to have them, however long that might take.

Velvet Sofa

Brass Floor Lamp

Matisse Print

French Mirror

Orb Lamp

A short daily fête today featuring a few of my favorite film scans from 2019. I have loved playing around with 35mm film and have found it to be an art form that is full of surprises. Light leaks, dust spots and color shifts have been popping up at random in my scans and I actually love the way they alter an otherwise straightforward photo into something a bit more unique. I shared my favorite cameras, film stocks and lab in a previous fête!

Vintage Details

1. Vintage shell home decor pieces by Le Studio Twelve // this shop has a gorgeously curated assortment of mid-century modern + feminine pieces. You can find them on insta at @lestudiotwelve and shop them here.

2. Film Recap // If you’ve been following along on my insta you know that I have fallen in love with 35mm film photography. If you’ve ever wanted to dabble in this type of art, this blog post I wrote is for you. In it I’ve outlined the basics of 35mm film and the gear I have found to be the easiest and most flexible.

3. Pinterest // The ultimate mood board and where I source most of my inspiration. Follow along for soft vintage vibes, mid-century design, and lots of feminine flair.

Hello, friends! I’m happy to be back from a much needed hiatus from posting on my site. To be entirely honest with you, the past year was the most tumultuous period I've yet experienced and I’d been feeling drained of joy. My heart was broken and it allowed self-doubt to seep into everything around me. I was constantly comparing myself to others and feeling like I was coming up short of my own hyper-critical expectations. If you have ever wanted to crumple up an entire year and throw it in the trash then you get my drift. I knew that I desperately needed to take a step back from putting pressure on my creativity and give myself space to heal. In that space, I read some books, allowed myself to feel sad, angry, and everywhere in-between, had countless meaningful conversations with my friends, family and therapist. Most significantly, I attempted as hard as I could to give myself grace. I’d like to share a few thoughts I came out on the other side with with you.

1. Run hand-in-hand with your imperfections. You are the only you out there and that is wildly amazing.

2. Progress is happening, even when you feel like shit. There will be days where you feel great for 15 minutes and then feel like hiding under the bed for 4 hours - this doesn’t mean you aren’t healing and making progress! Your experiences day to day leave you as a different, more self-aware person than you were the day before.

3. Even when you feel completely alone, broken beyond repair, and ready to give in, you are worthy of complete unconditional acceptance.

4. Be gentle with yourself. Where we rob ourselves of acceptance is where we need it the most.

5. Become your own role model. Look to others for inspiration, see what you like about them, and decide to take specific actions in becoming that person for yourself.

cameras

• Canon A-1 35mm film camera - I use this as my main camera for significant shoots. The Canon A-1 produces high quality shots while remaining very easy to use, plus you can find them for less than $200 on eBay

• Olympus Trip 35 - this little camera is considered one of the best in the vintage point and shoot category. It is solar powered, has adjustable focusing ranges, and is perfect for throwing in your bag while traveling 

Film

• Fujifilm Superia X-TRA ISO 400 35mm Color Film - this is my pick for inexpensive learning film. It still has a beautiful aesthetic, especially when shot in full day light

• Fuji 400h 35mm color film - this film has a bright and airy aesthetic with pops in blue + green hues. Check out this blog post by The FIND Lab that details how to get the most out of this film

• ILFORD HP5 - my favorite bw film stock! Ilford HP5 is known for having a  soft aesthetic with low contrast + high grain

Processing + Inspo

• The FIND Lab - this is my go-to resource for EVERYTHING film. They process (take the film from rolls to photos), print, and sell film. I frequently utilize their informative blog posts for understanding the complicated nuances of film

Fête (pronounced similarly to pet) is the French word for celebration, and y’all know how much I love a good party. Daily Fête is a new series of posts I’ve created as a landing space to share random things that I’m currently loving with you. I’d like to have this be a space where I share anything from podcasts to face creams to K-pop songs that I dance to in the bathroom while applying said face cream. Ready? Let’s go, lovies.

Late January is the start of my city’s favorite time of year.  The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is a deep tradition going all the way back to the founding cattlemen of Fort Worth. It’s the longest running rodeo, held annually since 1896 and has provided millions of dollars in college scholarships to Texas Tech and my alma mater, Texas Christian University! The rodeo is a cultural icon for Fort Worth, but selfishly my favorite aspect is that it’s a hell of a good time. I’ve gathered a few tips on how to have a damn good time at the FWSSR + a style guide on what I’m going to wear!

How to Rodeo like a Fort Worth Babe

1. It will most likely be chilly, long sleeves and/or pants are recommended.
2. You might get some dirt kicked in your beer, or in your face for that matter. Embrace it, it’s good luck.
3. Let your extrovert come alive. There are tons of cool people from all walks of life at the rodeo and you never know where you can make a rad new friend.
4. Get your western on, even if you feel like a total poser. This is the perfect time to break out your fancy cowboy boots and cowboy hat.

coat // vintage boots // levi’s