happy birthday mom

Yesterday was her birthday. The creative, loving mother that she is. There's none better.

I just love her so much.

painfully lovely

I spent my saturday here, in junky's wonderland. Booths and booths of vintage cameras, jewelry, and knick-knacks of every sort. There wasn't a single thing I walked by where I didn't reach for my money.

I couldn't help but notice every single camera as we passed by each shop - it was almost as if I had a 'vintage-camera' filter on. I was in heaven.

Now you must know that I'm a picky shopper - no, I'm a cheap shopper. And I go with my gut. If I feel I can find a better, cheaper one, I'll walk away.

However, I did decide on one thing - this adorable, boutique chair now sits where my dull, wooden one used to, and I love it.

I wish I could go here every weekend, but, alas, it's an annual deal.

Charming Elephant

on days when i remember

There's a lake by my house, and often I forget about it. 

shirt: forever 21 // skirt: anthro // shoes: target // necklace: forever 21

 It's tucked away behind the trees off the side down my street.

But when I catch a glimpse of the clear, blue water and the grass that peeks out from underneath, I don't waste a second to snap some shots.

charming elephant

p.s. - credit goes to the talented photographer of this shoot, my brother!

i left my heart in yachats (to the northwest part 2)

As we crossed the Willamette river, I felt an unnerving excitement in the depths of my soul. Part of me was thrilled to see what our next stop would bring, yet another part felt heartbroken to be leaving the lively streets of Portland. But as I watched the tall buildings turn to rows on end of orchard trees, I knew this was all a part of adventuring - moving on from one place to another, embracing every moment of it.

The air grew cooler as we neared the coast, stopping first at a small town north of Lincoln city. The place was something of a hole in the wall. The signs were crooked, the paint was chipped, and almost every shop smelled like wet-cat. But the fact that everyone was just so out-of-the-loop made the town unique - cute, in a way

The sun was nearing the horizon as we pulled into the motel. And although I was expecting them, I was startled to find cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents rushing to greet us as we arrived. Wasting no time, we hurried over to the ocean - not more than 200 yards from our inn. It was low-tide and the pools it left scattered on the sand reached depths of at least 4 feet, making it hard to work your way around.

I watched as the little ones jumped from one shell to the next saying look what I found! and running around proudly with it in hand until they stumbled upon a bigger, better one - all the while with a smile on my face. And as a wave came in, they'd run, screeching, away, barely dodging the icy grasp of the Pacific.

The entire atmosphere was magical and dream-like. It was like we weren't even on an earth anymore. The way the waves crashed upon the soft, cold sand was soothing and mesmerizing. The family was together, and that was all that mattered. It was enchanting in itself.

I wish we could have stayed a little longer, because it was an experience I'm not willing to forget.

Have you ever been to the coast?

autumn whispers

Yesterday the air was chilled to a mere sixty seven. The blue sky was crisp and vivid. And the sun cast a trace of golden light through my window and onto my wooden floors.

Even though the trees still hold their lush, green leaves, the breeze whispered otherwise. It spoke of apple orchards, and chunky-knit sweaters. Of pumpkin pie, and halloween. Colorful leaf piles, and hay rides. The breeze, that felt so cool on my warm, tender skin, murmured moments of autumn into my ear.

The thought of a new season excites me. So much it will bring. It's september. Summer is already sneaking out the back door. Out of mind for the next nine months.

via

Tomorrow I enter a new way of life - one with over sized sweatshirts and mounds of homework. School will start and my days will be filled with learning. This is it. The last shebang. I had a wonderful summer, and I hope you did too.

ta ta for now,
charming elephant

keep portland weird (to the northwest part 1)

A couple weeks ago my family and I left for Oregon. A ten-day trip that would be spent in a number of places, starting in Portland. We visited friends, family, dogs, cats, beaches, peaches, and so much more - I barely caught it all in 2,000 photos.

left: rockies // right: mt. hood

I am a city girl. I love tall buildings, one-way streets with an added lane for bikers, quirky shops and quirky people, and especially the way all those buildings light up in the night sky. So Portland was just my place - one of my favorites, in fact. The sidewalks are always busy and bikes are locked to every street sign, tree, and bike rack. 

The city is filled with old and new, small and large, vintage and modern - shops of every kind. One of which is Powell's book store. Undoubtedly the largest bookstore in america. It's four stories high and one block wide. That piece of paper I'm holding in my hand? - that's the map to the place. I mean, what bookstore doesn't need a map?

I was sad to say good bye after a well-spent 2 days, but Portland is not a place I can visit just once. I'll be back, someday. Maybe I'll even spend a few years of my college life there... Just a thought.

More to come!

for love of sleepovers

What's in a sleepover that is so thrilling to teenage females? Is it the awkward loveliness of posing for the camera? Is it the assumed permission to pig out on brownies? Is it the late night conversations? Or is it simply the amount of laughter shared together? Whatever it may be, I have to admit, it's one of the best parts of being a girl.

I spent the afternoon yesterday with my dear friend Erin. I hadn't seen her in months and we had so much to catch up on. So we sprawled out on my bed, and talked. About clothes, instagram, blogs, life. And every-so-often she'd slip in an 'I love your room!'. Before we knew it, an hour had passed by and we were running out of things to say.

Erin was anxious to test out my camera and some of my clothes - in other words, she was ready for a photo shoot. The sun was still high in the sky, a few clouds here and there. My favorite time of day. We ran around the yard, posing in front of anything and everything, feeling awkward all the same. And after a few hundred shots, our stomachs were growling in unison.

After a few slices of ordered pizza (I know, how very original), we tore open the brownie-mix box, whisked the ingredients, and threw the pan in the oven. When the agonizing, 30 minute wait was over, we pulled them out to find chocolaty perfection (never mind the crisp edges, which made them easy to eat like watermelon). Saving a few bites for later, Erin and I decided it was time to do our nails.

Now, let me warn you of something - if you ever decide to paint your nails on the screen porch at dusk, your decision may result in exploding nail-art pens, squinting to see if you are even painting the right nail, and missing your nail altogether. This may or may not be related to the conditions.

left: erin's hand (orange with gold sparkles) right: my hand (pink with gold sparkles)

The entire day there had been rumors of evening thunderstorms. Well, more like late night thunderstorms. And Erin and I were both looking forward to watching our movie with sounds of rain and thunder in the background. But how dissapointing mother nature can be - we recieve a full 30 seconds of rain and one, pathetic thunder. How dissapointing indeed. However, even though our ohsoanticipated thurnderstorm didn't arrive, the rest of our evening wasn't as dissapointing. We spent the rest of the night crafting snacks and climbing in bed to watch 'I Am Number Four' on Erin's portable DVD player.

And we didn't fall asleep until 1 in the morning.

What's your favorite part of a sleepover?

p.s. remember I am leaving on Wednesday, when I have my first guest post schedualled. (Sadly, I only have 2 guests posting for me, but I hope you will be kind to them!)