Required Reading

An upcoming project requires me to do extensive research with styling how-to books and fashion merchandising articles. This gives me a legitimate excuse to flip through Nina Garcia's books for hours at a time, soaking up Ruben Toledo's gorgeous illustrations! I love my major.

Missing you all! One week till Spring Break 2011! Can you hear the angels singing?

-B.

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*Ruben Toledo illustrations via Google

Get Back Up Again

Can you believe March is next week? Swimsuit and shorts season is almost here! Tragically my fitness routine has suffered severe neglect the past few weeks. After missing the gym several nights in a row, I forced myself to pop in a P90X DVD after school. You would think that my young body has pretty decent muscle memory, right?

No such luck. It was like I had been through Navy SEAL training. My ab muscles were so sore I felt sick the next day, and I won't even try to express the thigh/calf pain. Limping through classes taught me a valuable lesson: once you develop a gym habit, slacking off will cost you more than your membership dues.

The good news is that I dragged my agonized butt to the track, ignoring said body part's cries for a nice comfy couch! The bad news is that I am now chowing down on a small (ok.. medium) cup of ice cream after working an 8 hour day. However, I did have fruit for breakfast and a meager lunch of tuna and crackers.

And I will make sure those DVDs never collect dust again!

Stay strong,

-B.

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Wedding Bliss

One of my girl friends is planning a 100% environmentally-conscious wedding, and I am writing an article about it for a journalism class. I am thrilled (and a little overwhelmed) by her ideas so far! I can't wait to share the finished article with you. You will be amazed by her eco-friendly creativity.

As a little sneak peek, here is a photo of her gown inspiration. She is making a similar style out of recycled linen garments from Goodwill. Are you in awe yet??

Have a beautiful weekend!
-B.

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Fashionated

Yup, I just coined a new word. "Fashionated" describes a state of extreme fascination with NY Fashion Week. Basically, the entire blogging/photography/magazine world is "fashionated".
I am frantically trying to catch up on Style.com by clicking through designers in alphabetical order. Choosing one favorite from each collection is a fun (read: frustrating) challenge, but I will attempt to edit my selections just for you. The first three:

*Alice + Olivia*


*Barbara Tfank*

*Carlos Miele*

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I Heart VD

February is almost half over... can you believe it? What an intense month! I desperately miss the days of sleeping in, eating full meals while sitting down, going to bed before 2:00 am, and blogging regularly. Creativity is a forced effort in most of my classes, since deadlines are the main goal. Sitting in a room for 2 hours, racking your mind for anything remotely unique, is positively exhausting!

But there are bright spots in my uncomfortably choked schedule. Today is Valentine's Day. I LOVE Valentine's Day!
Being single and 20-something, I am naturally supposed to hate this holiday. I learned quickly that being a VDay spokeswoman among a bunch of single, 20-something girls will earn you a wide range of responses: scowls, condecending "she'll grow up someday" attitudes, and sympathy for my childish innocence (don't I know that Valentine's Day is the monster created by men to rub rejection in the faces of their former lovers? Don't I??).

Nonetheless, I refuse to hide my joy. And I am here to give you reasons. I hope you can appreciate them, single or taken... But especially if you are single. Being bitter won't make love come faster.

1. Chocolate. Everywhere. And in such creative packages!

2. Roses. Also everywhere. Even Walmart smells better.

3. Pink clothes, pink food, pink decorations, pink appliances, pink paper, pink hair...


4. Love. It's all around you. If you don't have a special someone right now, watch and learn.

5. Any excuse to wear pastel dresses, flouncy skirts, delicate tops, and lacey lingerie.

Think romantically,
-B.
PS: BHLDN launches today, in case you needed one more reason!
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Cuff Love

How fabulous are these romantic cuffs and mini-bracelets by Old Money Corp.? If you are not aware of my Valentine's Day fetish, consider yourself informed.

I get so many compliments on my OMC bracelets (someday I will post pictures of them). Leather is unexpected and stylish, adding a splash of personality to any outfit. Did I mention how much I love the vintage coins too?

With hearts and chocolate,

-B.
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In Now: Texas via OPI

Just when you think the verbose minds behind OPI couldn't possibly produce another insanely creative collection, they do exactly that.
You'll want to be in a "Texas State of Mind" for this: