Photo A Day Challenge (July)

Wow, it feels like July just blew right past me. It can't possibly be August tomorrow already, can it? Wasn't it June like two days ago? Anyway, here are the pictures I took for the Photo A Day July Challenge created by Fat Mum Slim.

I didn't keep up with the challenge as well as I did in June. I did take a picture for every prompt, but a few times during the month I did some "photo dumps" on Twitter, where I put several days of pictures up at once. It's hard to take a picture every single day for a whole month. All in all, I think I did pretty well though. I'm glad I didn't miss a day!

 1. Self Portrait // 2. Busy (at work)

3. Best part of your day (leaving work early!) // 4. Fun

 5. On The Floor (books) // 6. Chair

7. Garden // 8. Lunch (oops, I ate it too fast)

 9. Big (NYC) // 10. Your Favorite Color (Purple!)

11. Letter // 12. Texture

 13. Open // 14. Building (our hotel in Florida)

15. Finger // 16. Sign

17. Your addiction (chocolate!) // 18. Plate

19. Animal/insect/pet (little turtle) // 20. Eyes

21. 9 o'clock (reading The Host) // 22. Upside Down

23. Mirror // 24. A Stranger (in the Yard House)

25. Heart // 26. Sunshine

27. On The Road // 28. Cup

29. Last Thing You Bought (new booties!) // 30. Calm (my bro, Ben)

31. Toothbrush

Here are the promts for August:

Are you in? Did you participate in July?

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Lusting: Printed Trousers

I've been seeing the printed pants / jeans trend eveywhere lately. I don't know if I'm bold enough to wear such a statement piece myself, but I know that I've been loving the look. What do you guys think? Are you into it or is it a hell no trend?

Here are some thing are really cool....

{Click for item info}

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(Inspiration via Pinterest, The Weekend File, Madewell, Pinterest & unknown)

New Buys: #FindLauren

This past Saturday I went to Via Michelle in Mount Kisco, NY, a little boutique that sells jewelry, perfume, and makeup. But I wasn't there just to buy something, I was there to support the parents of Lauren Spierer, so that they could continue searching for their daughter. If you haven't seen her face on the news or heard what happened, Lauren Spierer, 20, disappeared on June 3, 2011. {Read more about her here.}

Although I didn't know her personally, she went to my high school, she was only a few years younger than me, she was in my brother's grade, and I know someone who was close friends with her. Writing about her in the past tense is hard to do because no one knows what happened to her, but that's exactly why I went to that store. To help find out what happened to Lauren.

The owner of the store, Michelle Danielle, gave 25% of every sale to help fund the search. I knew I couldn't leave until I had bought something.

This is the poster that is taped to store windows where I live, and I hope they don't take them down until she is found.

There were so many beautiful pieces at the store, but in the end I chose a simple but sparkly pair of earrings and a small hair clip with pinkish-purple stones.

To learn more about Lauren and how you can help, click here. If you want to help the Spierers continue their search, click here.

For updates: Facebook | Twitter

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Inspired By: Ruby Sparks

Yesterday the movie Ruby Sparks came out. It's about a young man, who writes about a character, only to discover that she has come to life. {Read more about it here.} Maybe it's because I'm a writer or maybe it's simply because I love the idea of this film, but I want to see it so bad.

But I also love the outfits that the characters wear in the trailer and production stills. Ruby wears bright colors, while Calvin wears subdued tones. The clothes look so comfy and cute; perfect for falling in love.

New Buys: Whilst on Vacation

"The Original Diva" Mini Mouse Tee

{Buy it here}

 Cute scarf from the airport

 Time Turner Keychain (I'm thinking of making it into a necklace. Would that be too nerdy?)

& Gryffindor Crest Keychain

{Buy | Buy}

 Mickey Mouse "S" Keychain & Lego Hermione Keychain

 Metal cuff from the airport

I considered getting Hermione's wand and a Gryffindor scarf,
but I refrained.
Next time I go to Universal though I'm totally geeking out!
I'll probably get a sweater, a mug, and maybe some nifty socks.

What can I say? Harry Potter is my weakness.

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Life Lately: Vacation Pt. 2

On Day 3, we visited Legoland. I thought I was going to be bored because the park is geared towards children, but it was surprisingly fun. There were a several roller coasters (I went on all of them!) and a waterpark with scary fast water slides.

Life Lately: Vacation Pt. 1

So, it turns out that we didn't end up going to Disney World after all. Either my dad didn't know the difference or he only decided to go to Universal when he saw the prices for Disney tickets. Ha! Whatever it was, Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure were absolutely amazing! There was so much to do, so much to see, so much food to eat, and so much screaming on rides to do.

On Day 1, my family and I took a plane from Westchester Country Airport to Orlando International Airport. After getting settled at the hotel, we ate at Sweet Tomatoes (why aren't there any in New York?) and shopped at Downton Disney.

Day 2, we went to Universal Studios! The weather was perfect, we went on (almost) all the rides we wanted to go on, ate lots of dessert, and saw Miranda Cosgrove sing. By the end of the day, my feet were so sore, and I only got more blisters as the days wore on, but it was worth it!

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My New Sunglasses

I've been wanting prescription sunglasses for years! Finally, I had the brilliant idea to ask my dad to get me a pair for my birthday! I got this inexpensive pair from Walmart. Can you believe they were only $89? The frames themselves were only $9!

I love them because they look like classic black wayfarer's from the front, but have a fun red, pink, and white marble look on the inside of the frames. Luckily, I got them right before we left for our trip, so I didn't have to choose between seeing clearly and not being blinded by the sun.

What do you think?

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Apartment Inspiration

As I wrote in my previous home inspiration post way back in January, I've been craving getting my own apartment for a while now. But let's get real, I owe over $20,000 in student loans, I'm still in grad school, and only have a part-time job. So unless I want to be majorly broke, I'll stick to staying at home, where my mom makes my dinner and I don't have to worry about the electric bill.

But a girl can still dream about her own place...

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{Pictures via Glitter Guide, Flashes of Style, Apartment Therapy, Britta Nickel, Pinterest or unknown}