that dress!

Oh my, what a sweet, sweet, sweet wedding dress. I so admire the scooped neckline, detailed hem, and short sleeves on this adorable dress. It doesn't hurt that the bride is gorgeous and that I also love her shoes, her seaside wedding, her adorable dad and her equally as calm and adorable looking groom. See more Swedish wedding by the sea.

a little Monday-is-almost-over boost

Digging every single piece of this perfectly original outfit. From The Sartorialist.

ps I made this

My friend Amy just showed me the site PS I Made This and it was instant blog love. The inspiration boards are, well, inspiring and the DIY projects have definitely given me a few more ideas for some homemade holiday gifts this year. So fire up the ol' glue gun and get crafting...xo, A

pixiemarket pix

Man I loooove me some Pixiemarket. Original, beautiful pieces that are truly breathtaking. I adore each of these items. Happy wishlist-ing...

silencing your inner judge

While in a yoga class over this holiday break, I found my inner critic/judge/cynic alive and kicking. Most of the comments were directed at myself: "I can't stretch further than this? Are you kidding me? C'mon!" Or, after staring too long in the wall length mirror accross from myself while in tree pose, "Wow, I really need a haircut. Like bad. This is getting disgusting. I look life Florence Henderson." And finally, "These pants make me look old." At which point I realized how far I was taking this inner judge thing. I mean I don't think any pair of pants can actually make anyone "look old".
We all have it: that self-critical voice in our head that constantly wants to make sure we are behaving, looking, and doing our very best. But often that voice, instead of being a rational, nurturing source of encouragement can become an annoying, overly-critical mental space which only seems to remind us of our flaws or shortcomings.
These critical thoughts will not ever stop since they're part of our evolution. In a way, it is this "voice" which has helped you grow up, develop social skills, pick out that dress, nail polish color, friend, apartment. It's the desire to get the very best for yourself and to in turn be your very best. But I think there is a way to ignore these thoughts when they become overly critical and unhelpful.
When that supposed instructive, helpful voice turns negative or irrationally judgemental, ignore it. Don't get caught up in the cycle of bringing yourself down, comparing yourself to others or making yourself feel bad for things that you just shouldn't feel badly about or cannot change. In the end, you are doing your best all the time; it's all that anyone can do. And your best is good enough.
So the next time I feel that noisy, bossy judge creeping in while I'm trying to enjoy a peaceful morning of yoga, I'm going to let it go and ignore it. I can acknowledge that it's part of my consciousness and ego, but furthermore I can also note that it is of no consequence or importance. That it is simply a facet of myself trying to improve myself and going into overdrive. And if I can refocus my attention on something else, then soon that annoying voice will pass, as most annoying voices are wont to do when you do not give them attention.
So in the words of Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers "...take off the white wig and stop judging (yourself)."

the quest for shades

Welcome back! Oh what a restorative and restful break that was. I hope the same was for you, lovies.
So lately, I've been on a mission to find some nice sunglasses. However, this is easier said than done. Most of what I've found has been either too cheaply made or outrageously expensive. The last time I paid over $100 for a pair of sunglasses they broke on the regs and then I realized: oh yea, all sunglasses are made of plastic...so no matter how much I pay for them, they will probably still break at some point.
But I think I've found a happy medium. These glasses from American Apparel, while a bit expensive, are adorable and hopefully good quality as well. Hey, say what you want about the store but I've never bought anything from there that didn't last for years. Arguably too many years actually as some unfortunate purchases I've made from there are still around and kicking.

welcome back...xo, A

holiday worthy anthro picks

Judging by my current favorites from Anthropologie, I think I'm ready for a weekend in the woods. A very sexy and stylish weekend in the woods. Swingy plaids, big brown boots and cozy sweaters round out this list. And some black lingerie for good measure. What? I said it was gonna be sexy.

xo, Ana Louisa

If you were here I'd be home by now

If you start welling up at photographs of murals that you look at online does that mean you're a sap? Because that's exactly what just happened when I followed this link, sent to me by my friend Kelsy, of love murals in Philadelphia. I think once you take a look at these truly lovely works of art you'll understand why I got a little teary eyed. They're just too sweet. And you can't beat their unavoidably urban backgrounds. Who says any love story has to be made into a movie or a famous song to be completely amazing and wonderful? Through this project I feel that Stephen Powers and his murals are taking our everyday, run of the mill, completely incredible love stories and shouting them from the rooftops.

There's a lot of love out there. xo, A

heart by ban.do

How have I not mentioned ban.do on here before? Look at these sweet headbands and then let me tell you about them at the bottom...Okay, ban.do mostly makes fancy, expensive headbands (like hundred dollar headbands), but they have since come out with heart by ban.do (above), a line in which every headband is $50 or under. Still sound a little pricey? You can always use their ideas as a guideline and just "go crazy by yourself" as my mom says. With a glue gun, an hour to kill and some sparkly fabric, there's no stopping you. The perfect post-nap craft for your holiday. xo, A

wishlist suggestions...

Can you tell that I have your holiday wishlist in mind lately? This is what I love about Modcloth: all the items are affordable (mostly under $100) and yet it's not the kind of place that everyone shops at, so you're sure to still keep some originality whenever you wear a piece from here. I am mostly in love with their dresses (can you tell?), but I have to say that sweet little black blouse has jumped right to the top of my wishlist. All of these items should still be in stock, but I really searched the website for these picks. So just e-mail me if you need help finding one of them.

xo, A