When I was in London, I desperately wanted to go to Hyde Park.  I wanted to envision The Crystal Palace or better yet, jet back to the 1850s and actually be there.  The Crystal Palace was this magnificent glass building that housed the Great Exhibition in 1854.

The Palace actually only lived in Hyde Park for a short period of time.  It was moved after the exhibition ended.  There were plenty of problems after the move (mainly bankruptcy).  Eventually, The Crystal Palace burned down in 1936.

Over the past few years, there had been talk about rebuilding The Crystal Palace.  But, in January of this year, it was announced that a sports arena would be built instead of a replica of the Palace.  So sad!

Sketch of what the Great Exhibition was like at the first location

The Crystal Palace at its second location

View of The Crystal Palace from afar

The Crystal Palace on fire

This is such a great list for all designers!  Here are my favorites:

The 50

I don't think it's a pride issue so much as principle.

I went into fashion design with the intention of being a buyer.  My first co-op made me realize that the last thing I wanted to be was a buyer. 

I got my current job from networking.  I was able to network because of my co-ops...  

This is definitely something I need to get better at doing.  It'll come in time ;)

Most of my day at work is spent staring into the deep, abyss of a computer screen.  I recently read that people spend an average of 6 hours a day staring at a screen (be it a computer screen, cell phone, touch pad, etc).  I think I can speak for most when I say that 6 hours is a massive understatement.  I spend 8 hours a day at work M-F.  Of that time spent at work, I spend 6-8 hours on the computer.  And while I'm working, I manage to check my phone and flip through music on my ipod.  After leaving work, I head home and often times end up here (on my computer).  

So, I decided to take a break from the screen and sketch with pencil, on paper.  Yet, here I am scanning my sketch into the computer. Hmmm...

Food, Food, Food.  I love food.  Not all food.  But if I love it, I LOVE IT...

Lately, I've found myself craving macarons.  I can't really explain it either.  They taste a little bit funny, I don't feel full after eating them, and they come in colors that simply aren't natural to the food world.  At the moment, I can only buy these scrumptious, French delights on Saturdays at eBar (Nordstrom's cafe).  And yes, that doesn't sound like a bad Saturday by ANY means. However, my wallet isn't too pleased with me as of late.  Macarons are an expensive, but delicious, habit to obtain.  I was in France at the Palace of Versailles when I first felt my heart go pitter-patter at the sight of a macaron. The color of the macarons were so vivid and luscious in the white room!

Ladurée Shop in Palace of Versailles

Seasonal Macarons

I don't think this macaron obsession is going to satiate itself anytime soon.  I might just have to feed it...

  

I've been reading a lot of reputable articles (Glamour and Vogue) declaring that summer is coming to an end.  They said that I should start exfoliating to remove the remnants of my summer tan in preparation for the harsh Fall winds.  Sadly, I never had a chance to really obtain a tan (my skin will thank me later).  Do I still need to exfoliate?  Nonetheless, here are a few things that I have to look forward to this fall: 

Getting lost in a corn maze

Drinking apple cider

 Denim jackets

Cozy sweaters

Leather riding boots

Snuggling with a book

Growing up, I always loved roaming around my grammie's house.  She had amazing trinkets, beautiful furniture, and fabulous hide-n-go seek hiding locations.  In all seriousness, I was very close with her.

Over the past few years, I've been given a few of my grammie's treasures.  One piece in particular is this wonderful chair.  Though the fabric is torn, I refuse to reupholster it until I absolutely must.  It's perfect as is.

I decided to use this chair in place of my previous desk chair.  It adds character to the room and it carries a lot of meaning for me.

It's been a year since I came back from Europe.
I can't believe how quickly the time went!  In celebration of returning from Greece, I made tzatziki sauce.  It's pretty easy to make actually.  It's just greek yogurt, peeled cucumber, lemon juice, garlic, and mint (or dill) with salt to taste.  It's great for snacking or eating with falafel!