25 things about me at 25

I always thought 25 sounded so old.  Is that just me?  Then again, I say that every year.
I don't feel old and that's what's important, right?..  anyhow...

here are 25 things I want to remember about my life at 25

1. my current favorite flower is Ranunculus.  but I'm pretty sure you already knew that.

2.  i.love. Modern Family.  I love to try to talk like Gloria.  "a gargol ees a gargol..."

3.  My current favorite color combo is Navy and Red-Orange

4.  Sister is currently serving an LDS mission.  I'm still weirded out she and I won't see each other the entire time I'm 25 and the whole time she's 22.  crazy.

5. I love the twitter. and the pinterest.

6. I am borderline addicted to J Dawgs.  If you have never been... make sure you go!  I like mine with special sauce and banana peppers.  Mmm. Craving one right now.

7. baby you light up my world like no body else!  --One Direction, anyone?  Obsession.  They are adorable!

8. Always thought my life would be figured out long before now.  I'm now learning that life is all about learning, progressing, and the process of figuring it out (so really, I'll never fully have it figured out)... And I love that. 

9. False Lashes Mascara by MAC is my favorite.  Also Ruby Woo by MAC.  I could wear that lipstick every day.

10. We're trying out a free month of Netflix... I have been watching the Hills.. Que drama!

11.  i cannot wait for summer!  I had a dream last night that I bought the Pass of all Passes.  Maybe I should! (i love seven peaks!)

12.  i love to waste time looking at home plans.  call me crazy.

13. I leave for Italy in the morning!  finally.  I can't think of a better way to start off my 25th year.

14. mom is meeting me in NYC on my way home from Italia. We're going to see the Newsies! Can't wait.

15. i am finally finished with winter semester 2012! aka the semester i almost died i was so busy.  i am so relieved it is over and don't know how i managed to survive!!
16.  i love diet coke.
17.  when shopping for clothing, i am drawn to yellow and teal.  just take a look at my pinterest board if you don't believe me.
18. just dance is my favorite wii game
19. top favorite movies right now:  the muppets and monte carlo.  so good.
20.  i'm finally starting to feel good about ma curves. i used to feel hideous every day but that's starting to change. :)
21. motown is super great.  i love to sing along to any and every motown song.  midnight train to georgia is my favorite pandora radio station.
22.  my current hair goal in life is to have hair like this.
23.  i still only know 5 + 1 songs on the ukulele. 
24.  favorite places to be as of now (ask me again in about 5 weeks): disneyland, new york city, and washington dc.
25.  just so we're clear, i am not afraid of dolphins. ;)

InDesign

all photos by the lovely jalene taylor

my imaginitive effort

I'll bet many are thinking this is going to be a fashion blog when they first see [the old title], fashionista{in training}.  And, well, once upon a time it may have turned into one.  

After getting most of my generals done, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my schooling career.  I took a semester off to consider everything.  I remember coming home from taking my final in Biology just sobbing.  I hated school.  I didn't know what I wanted to do but I wanted to get out of what I was doing.  I contemplated everything.  Social Work. Hair School. Elementary Education. Nail Tech. Not going to school at all. Travel Agent. Real Estate. Everything that wasn't me. I had considered and was always interested in Fashion Design but didn't want to make any big move to California or New York(no fashion schools in Utah at the time).  I didn't want to spend a boat load of money and I was far too scared to be out on my own quite yet.  So, I took a break.  I didn't know what I wanted and didn't see any sense in wasting my time or money doing something I didn't love.  I got letters from Aunts and Uncles about the importance of education and how dropping out wasn't the answer(which offended me and made me not want to do school even more... I'm really stubborn that way), even though I wasn't really planning to be completely done done.  

After taking a year off from any kind of school, a dear friend told me about a fashion program she was enrolled in locally in Salt Lake.  Brilliant!  Immediately(after talking it over with my mom) I applied, was accepted, and over the course of the next four semesters I was enrolled in fashion school; studying fashion illustration, pattern making, sewing, fashion history, and textiles.  I was making lots of new friends and actually enjoyed my classes; something I hadn't experienced in a long time.  I had it all planned out:  I was going to finish my Fashion degree and move somewhere glamorous like New York City to pursue a bachelor degree in Bridal Fashion.  I couldn't wait.  In the midst of all of that, I also started a new blog.  Hence the title:  fashionista{in training} (because I was going to fashion school.  so clever, i know...)  Of course, life has a really awesome way of working out according to plan.

My last semester of Fashion school, Fall 2010, I just knew I was in the wrong place.  I have always gone with my gut feelings and knew that if I wanted to go far in life, fashion was not where I needed to be.  I went through some of the same feelings I had before with uncertainty, trying to come up with new life careers, and frankly, feeling like a failure.  Something needed to change soon. 

Then, that same semester on Thanksgiving, my family went to see a movie as is tradition.  The movie was Tangled.  [I know I go on and on about how much I adore the film.  {here is my first post about that} And now you'll know why!]  During I See the Light, I cried.  Cried!  Okay, a lot of movies made me cry, but this one made me cry because A. it was super cute. B. she was realizing her dream of seeing the lights and C. I knew at that moment I wanted to create again.  I wanted to be a part of something big.  And it wasn't until I saw the movie that it really clicked for me.  I went home and immediately looked up on the Disney Animation site the concept art, and qualifications/degrees/experience needed to become an artist for Disney.  

I knew I needed to go back and finish what I had started pre-fashion school.  

That week, I went down to the University.  I talked to a counselor about what my options were and before I knew it I was enrolled in Art classes for the next semester.  Everything just seemed to fall into place.  I know it was where I needed to be at the time.  I am so grateful for the experiences and life lessons I learned while going to fashion school.  I know everything happens for a reason.  I don't quite know yet why my school life had to take a small detour, but I do know I am where I am supposed to be now because everything keeps falling perfectly into place {good indicator, yeah?}.  I still don't know exactly what I want to do with my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts), but I do know I will be creating.  Which is something I am completely passionate about. 

so in this process of trying to come up with an updated more relevant blog title, I knew it had to incorporate creativity.  Literally. 

dictionary.com is brilliant.  So for ideas one day, I decided to look up the definition.

cre·ate  (kr-t)tr.v. cre·at·ed, cre·at·ing, cre·ates

1. To cause to exist; bring into being. See Synonyms at found¹.

2. To give rise to; produce: That remark created a stir.

3. To invest with an office or title; appoint.

4. To produce through artistic or imaginative effort

imaginitive effort.  of course!  those words spoke to me.  

so now, I am introducing to you 

my imaginative effort

this is who I am, and this is my journey to create and put forth my imaginative effort.

 

watch this video to be inspired to be creative yourself!  

happy creating!

ten things about me right now

read nie's post here; she inspired this post!
here are things i think you should know about the current me:

1. i have been devouring this book the past week.  complete with highlighters and sticky notes..
2. i feel like i'm constantly on pinterest brainstorming gift/package ideas for my sister who leaves on her lds mission 5 weeks from today. gahhh.
3. soft serve vanilla ice cream with oreos and caramel.  need i say more?
4. i'm borderline obsessed with modern family.  why have i never watched it before this season?  it is hilar.
5. i'm noticing more and more my smile wrinkles.  which, in my opinion, are the best kind of wrinkles.
6. been questioning whether or not i'm in the right major.  this happens every year, so this is nothing new.  still trekking along, and i'll most likely continue with where i'm going. not to worry.
7. honestly i don't know what i'm going to do when sister leaves. i have breakdowns weekly (it used to be daily.  i'm getting better) how do you deal with life changes?
8. i can't wait for christmas this year.  i asked santa for this.  and this.  and a subscription renewal to this.
9. been wanting to try out paper art for weeks now.  i keep doodling thumbnails, but have yet to actually do it.  hopefully soon.
10. i am extremely excited for the muppets movie to come out on thanksgiving.


go ahead, follow this trend and tell me 10 things about the current you! make sure you comment with a link to your post so i can read them! :)

i'm aesthetic.

i took a happy little personality quiz the other day (i would share the link but i closed out of the website as soon as i was done with my results.. oops!)  my results came in the form of  10 little paragraphs telling me about my strongest suits.  I decided to make a small 10 part series out of it.  hooray! 

 

Aesthetic

You appreciate art, beauty, and design; you know that they are not superficial but absolutely crucial to living the good life. You have good taste, and you're proud of it. Those with a high score on the "aesthetic" trait are often employed in literary or artistic professions, enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about the arts, reading, and travel.

You don't think it's pretentious to be moved by art and beauty. You're not one of those who believe it doesn't matter what something looks like as long as it does its job.



this is totally me.  art inspires me.  




here's something that bugs me, though...

one of my biggest pet peeves is when people look at artwork much like unto these:

and say something like


oh, a child could have done that 
or
i could have done that in two minutes




really?
could you have?
then let's see you try. 
i'm an art major and i can't even do that.

here is what a child has painted, though:

 

now do you see the difference?

i guess it just really bugs me because 

A.  I've learned to appreciate art from all walks of life, not just representational art. 

B.  Some of my best artwork has been abstract.  

Artwork that I spend hours upon hours making.  Who is supposed to appreciate my stuff if everyone thinks a child could have done that in two minutes?  It's insulting, yeah?

C.  I am a huge fan of color, and playing with color.  What better way to show off color than in abstract art?

So, my friends, think outside the box today.  Try to embrace the abstract a little bit more.  I think you'll find that you'll like it.  Okay maybe you won't today, but hopefully someday you'll like it a little bit more.  Even if you don't love it.  Try to resist the urge to say things like a child could have made that.  it makes my artist heart hurt a little (okay, a lot)

<3

to: you. love, me.

it's just that.

i love journaling.
always have.

you remember this post?
so you know.
i have many a journal.




i can't wait to print out this little puppy via blurb and have it in book form.


to show my kids someday.


because
you see,

in my penning journals, it's mostly things like

today i _________...
oh man i can't believe i'm up at _______ hour..
my classes are_____...


so mostly, it's just very documentation-y..(is that even a word?!.....deal with it.)


but here, i'm writing to somone.

even if nobody is reading.


hello, are you there?


so


someday when i'm long gone people will get a feel for who i really am. 

that's what i want to think, anyway.


blogs are just the greatest, aren't they?

wordless wednesday: first edition

 

 

 



attention to detail

something i have noticed about myself and made the realization that i notice about myself is that i love anything that pays special attention to detail.  i am a pretty thoughtful person naturally so anything that has a lot of thought put into it makes my heart melt.

here is an example:

i love disney (that's no secret)

i grew up watching any and every disney movie (still do)

i loved the disney sing along song videos. loved.

disneyland just launched a new parade,

the soundsational parade

and the very first float features the songbirds from the opening song of the disney sing along song videos!

i tried to find a picture, but i couldn't find a decent one.

and another example:

disney's california adventure just opened a new ride,

ariel's undersea adventure.

check out the anamatronic Ursula. 

does she not look real?  you should also check out this video and see how she looks when she's functioning.

holy moly.  i am seriously in love with all the detail and time put into it.  She looks so real!

pretty sure this is why i love disneyland so much.

and why i want to work for disney someday. i would be in heaven.

calling all engaged people

hey friends

i've started my own business.

officially.

check it out here:

Floral Design by Erin

stay tuned my first wedding as a floral business owner is this weekend!  i could not be more thrilled.

tell your engaged friends to contact me!  it has been so hard not to blog about this until just now, i've wanted to tell you all!

I'm based in Utah County for those wondering! ;)

24

yep, it's true. i turned 24 yesterday.  and i know i know it's not old.  but i totally feel old.  and i know i say that every birthday.  i will continue to feel old forever, i suppose.  so maybe i should just get over it now.

...

in honor of my 24th year of living here are 24 things about me you may not already know.

1. grilled cheese sandwiches and oreos are my favorite foods.
2.  i dislike chocolate ice cream. and chocolate cake, but i'll eat choc. cake. not ice cream. unless it's been mixed from vanilla.  i know. i'm weird.
3. i've wanted lea salonga's voice ever since i was in 1st grade and heard jasmine sing.
4. my hair's been dark dark brown (i prefer the name ebony..just sounds pretty) since i was born.
5. i love weddings. i love love. if you have a love story, i love to hear about it. seriously. this may need its own post.
6. i can't for the life of me keep a tidy room. i'll deep clean it and it'll stay clean for a few weeks then all hell breaks loose and looks like a natural disaster struck. it drives me crazy but what can ya do.
7.  i love mary higgins clark books.  story about that to come soon.
8.  my favorite and signature scent is poppy by coach. 
9. i know everything there is to know about the disney parks. info, vacation planning, favorites, human map... have a question?  i have an answer.
10. i was born in iowa, then lived in oregon, florida, and brazil before settling in utah and now calling it my home.
11. i grew up watching mary poppins and cinderella every. day. multiple times a day. i still adore every and all disney movies.
12. i love all sorts of music. oldies/easy listening and streamline pop are my very favorites, surprisingly. 
13. i am addicted to real simple magazine. my subscription ended a month ago, it didn't come in april and i about had a panic attack.  we're getting that taken care of. by re-subscribing.
14. i love going on drives and discovering awesome neighborhoods.  it's one of my favorite past times.
15. i love wearing high heels. love. i have quite the collection of high heels. i'll post pics soon.
16. i'm still in school. it took me forever to decide what to study.  i studied generals, then fashion design, and now fine art (which is what i'll graduate with).  i'm a firm believer in no experience goes wasted. every experience i've had with school has helped mold my emphasis and where i'll be later on. 
17. i was on the highschool ballroom dance team all 3 years. my favorite dance is the samba.
18. i love musicals.  i love singing along to and quoting musicals. what fer? there's only three little ones!
19. becuase of britney spears in her oops i did it again m.v. i forever wanted to be blonde. years later i still secretly want to be blonde sometimes.
20.  i love brightly colored lips. i just got brave red lipstick by mac for my birthday. can't wait to wear that. every day, perhaps. it's beautiful.
21. i seriously love the harry potter series. everything about them.  i cannot wait for 7 part II to come out.
22. my sister, anna, is my best friend of all time.
23. i call my fashion style eclectiprepohemian.
24. my favorite flowers are stock(they smell divine), ranunculus and freesia.  they're perfect.

just some more thoughts

just so you know, life is not a race.


example:


most of my friends my age are done and graduated.  and have been for a few years.

i could have been done at this point in life.


but because i'm not
sometimes i get down on myself.


and then i realize that if i wasn't in school right now
right at this time.

i would not be able to take advantage of the opportunities i get to. right now.

i am thankful for where i'm at.  i'm slowly moving but that's because that's what needed to happen.  it's what needs to continue to happen. 

for a reason. 

and sometimes(most of the time) we don't know why we do certain things

but in the end it all turns out better than if you were to plan it yourself.



rambling thoughts, yes.  what are your rambling thoughts on the subject?

once upon a time



Erin's art was(is) featured in the student show





her piece even won an award





and all her friends came to support her!  ...(what is my hand doing?....)

 The following story you can skip---I just want to remember this in the future! 

Okay.  Tonight was seriously awesome. 
1.  Totally unexpectedly won an award!


**How I found out

I was running late naturally.  [they really stress about being on time to see who wins the awards]  When I finally arrived more than half hour late I walked into the Art Museum and walked over to the front desk where I asked if they had already announced all the awards.

This man said "Oh, yes, they have.. What's your name?"

"Uhh, Hi, I'm Erin"

"Hi I'm Adam Bateman {the curator of the exhibit}.  It's truly nice to meet you, congratulations you won an award!"

Me in shock:  "whaa... uhh...waaahhh...more mumbling...Nice to meet you!  Thank you so much!"



2.  I ran into an old professor who is totally over the Italy study abroad.  He says this to me:

"Is one of your pieces featured here?"

"yes.."

"well, show it to me!"

"okay!"

I show him mine, and tell him about it...

"Well you must come with us to Italy next summer!  Let's stay in contact.  I think you would be perfect and it would be such a wonderful opportunity for you!"


"YES PLEASE!!"

a bouquet i love



pink and orange ranunculus
white freesia
vendella ivory spray roses
pale orange tulips



I miss playing with flowers.  I need to find a way to be able to do this again asap. 

sundaybest

as per request [i'm thrilled about this, btw]

i'll be updating you with my 30 for 30 challenge

here's another outfit. 

{and ps, i'm not very organized when it comes to updating. so you'll get random blips here and there.. sorry}

necklace: boutique. cardi: banana republic. dress: anthropologie. belt: old navy.  navy tights: target. seychelles pumps: nordstrom

promise I'll get better photos for future updates. stay tuned.

me

crooked teeth

short hair

red lips

unkempt eyebrows

porcelain skin

i really like this candid.

it's very

me.

who, me?

be yourself! {everyone else is already taken.}-not sure who made this statement. but i love it.


yes, that's caution tape in the background. and yes, i have squinty eyes and a scrunchy nose when i smile.

photo taken by jalene. she's incredible.







seriously though. 




sometimes i find myself

a. comparing myself to other girls. (photoshopped or not)
b. saying {thinking} ridiculous statements about myself (see a.)
c. wishing i was more like insert friend's name here. (I have some incredible, beautiful, thoughtful, crafty, creative, awesome friends.) 

catch my drift?


but i have to remember that i'm me and i'm not going to be anyone else any time soon
(or ever)

i can, however, try to be the best me.

and i do try.  every day.

Nelson Mandela is one smart guy.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?Actually who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to manifest the Glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some; it’s in all, everyone.

And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

so.

there you have it.

i guess i'm stuck being me.

and i like it.

read my other reminders on this subject here and here.

my look book

what say you?

update

**so.  I've decided to not finish the 30 posts in 30 days (go figure)  And just pull ideas from that when I don't know what to blog yet want to say something.  Sorry if you were looking forward to hearing a certain post.  I think you'll live though.   I know I will. 




I need to find my own voice in my style/what I wear and how I carry myself.

I'm in a transition of sorts to find my style. 


and let me tell you.  this has been so hard. 

the things I'm wanting to change/update are:

hairstyle. 
I'm looking for something that says Erin.  something that's completely me and completely flattering.  I've had the same hairstyle/color for as long as I can remember.  I'm ready to mix things up a bit I think.


clothing.
like I said.  I have things that I wore 10+ years ago (I'm more surprised things still fit...) which I keep for sentimental value/they used to look great on me but maybe not so much now?  Stacy and Clinton always get after people who do that exact thing... then the other day I swore I had nothing to wear to church and found myself wearing an outfit I wore at EFY many years ago.  I nearly had a break down.  It was then I realized I needed this update and really need to grow up in that area as well. I'm going to be 24 soon and need to look the part!

I've already been getting rid of so many things that:

a. no longer fit
b. are outdated (I have things I used to wear in jr. high.)
c. don't match the look I'm going for
d. aren't flattering



makeup.
because currently I wear little to none.


It's kind of exciting thinking that I can be anyone I want to be in this sense...AND the nice thing about this is I'm open to suggestions so feel free to make suggestions. 
I'm excited to start from scratch almost and have a much simpler take on my style.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf did say that the ultimate sophistication is simplicity! 

So here I go.  Getting rid of the clutter, and creating a new and improved simplified me.

Day 01 – Introduce yourself with pictures and words

little red writing hilary over at Motley Me gave me this splendid idear.

30 posts in 30 days challenge

And I usually hate surveys on blogs. Like. Hate.  But I like this one.  It's a day at a time and not too much all at once and I am redundant. 

So me in pictures and words?

Hey.  I'm Erin.

I scrunch my nose when I smile/laugh.  I think it's obnoxious.  some people say it's "cute"

My sister Anna is my bff. Even though we fight daily. (mostly because she wears my clothes without asking and doesn't care at all that it annoys me to no end) I usually get over it until tomorrow and we continue to be friends.

I love new adventures. And I love to tell stories.

Something you should know about me is I'm very sensitive and I love love and when people accomplish their goals/dreams. It makes me cry.

I always thought I had brown eyes growing up. {this is me photoshopped with brown eyes..} Until the 6th grade when all the students with brown eyes had to stand up (we were studying WWII) So I stood up.  My teacher told me I had blue eyes.  Which I was extremely disappointed/upset about.  Then I got older and realized that I'm lucky.

I'm usually doodling.  This is me doodling.  My dear friend Brennon took this picture.  I miss him. Where is he these days?  Dear Brennon, if you're reading this... Give me a call because I don't have your number.

I enjoy believing that I can do anything I set my mind to.  I've also been wearing that CTR ring for as long as I can remember.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this pic of me at graduation and I'm wearing that ring.  Don't think I've taken it off since.

Every day I come up with lists and new goals, and every once in awhile I discover new talents I never knew I had. 

Because of which, my career goals are constantly changing.

That seems good for now.  Until tomorrow, friends.

these are a few

of my fa-vor-ite things.

just dance and michael jackson experience for the wii.
light pink nail polish
coral lipstick
you and i by ingrid michaelson (it was stuck in my head the day we filmed my audition movie--hence song choice.  no other thought was put into it.  but it kind of fits.)
poppy by coach. {my scent right now}