Monday Musing // Why do you instagram your vacation?

Just yesterday it hit me...people actually aspire to be instagram famous. It is the most true thing. People really want to be famous...on INSTAGRAM. And I think I've always thought this was weird. But while scrolling I saw half of the people I follow posting multiple pictures of their expensive clothes and multiple pictures of their babies on vacation in some luxurious place. 

My main thought was: get off the phone and live your life. Put your credit card away and stop showing off. 

And I probably sound like a jealous maniac. Maybe I am a jealous maniac, but as my friend Karlee said on twitter, "How do you have time tweet/IG your amazing vacation?"

And one more: 

Kid: "Mommy, what do you do for a living?" 

Mom: "Oh honey, I take pictures of myself in nice clothes and post them all over the internet."

Yeah you do and it's kind of getting ridiculous. 

No, it really is. 

Why are we so obsessed with this kind of culture? Why are we so obsessed with those likes...those little hearts just popping up on your notifications. Guys, I'm not perfect, I like likes, I like clothes, I like sharing what I'm wearing with people, but I was at the beach the other day and I posted one instagram and I didn't post any other ones because I wanted to really enjoy the moment. 

ENJOY THE MOMENT! 

What an idea, right? Hey, it's okay to take pictures, take a lot of pictures, but when you take it and show it to your friends that you are with to make sure everyone has a nice face, PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. Don't be so attached to it and don't be so eager to post that photo to instagram to get your 200 plus likes. Just don't do it. DO it later. 

There are actual girls who go and invest money into their blogs and their instagrams and their tweets. 

Why are they doing this? I'm not completely sure. 

Why do you have to tweet your whole vacation? Does it make you feel good to look at your screen everytime a notification comes up? Does it make you feel good to immediately post something and watch the love come flooding in. Does it make you feel good to snapchat you and your baby sleeping. 

Do you really want those sponsorships? Do you really want people to comment "Goals" and "Perfect body" and "I am so jealous of everything about you." "I want to be you." I mean, hey thanks that's really nice of your, but BE YOU!

Be you and go outside and send time with your friends and still take pictures but don't be glued to your social platforms because you are more than a social media platform. You are more than a screen. You are more than a picture of you looking dang good. (Although I love those pictures, you are more than them.) 

So there is that. Okay. 

Being instagram famous isn't that cool. Because in the end, those pics will get lost in cyberspace and your wallet will be crying for help and beauty will fade. And that's my cynical view. 

Ok, bye. 

Monday Muse{ings} // NYFW Street Style

Saying that I love fashion week is an understatement. I LOVE LOVE fashion week. Like it is my dream to be there one day. I don't care if I'm a magazine editor. I don't care if I'm a lowly minion sitting all the way in the back. I don't care if I people don't know who I am, I just want to go. I want to analyze the fashion and I want to see the art that these incredible designers have been mastering for the past year. It's a beautiful spectacle. Everything about it is worldly, but everything about it is magical. It's just the best. My favorite part about it though, the street style. I LOVE the street style. So that's what this post is about today. Some of the best street style looks at NYFW. All photos are either from Pinterest or Vogue or Elle or any fashion magazine website ever. I don't own any of them, though I so wish I did.

Stay tuned for a Runway Recap. ;)

1 // A popular look was neutrals with a vibrant accent of color. I love this all grey look with a yellow purse. It says "I'm a functional and fabulous fashion editor that is going to write a bomb yet critical review of all the shows I get to see." P.S. This one is obviously from London Fashion Week but it still counts!

2 // See that pop of orange. *heart eyes* *heart flutter* It was rainy and pretty dreary all week, but that didn't stop the ladies from pulling out their parkas and making it work. You can't see her shoes, but she's wearing sneakers and I just love that. 

3 // The hat! The hat, I say! 

4 // Even if you're not walking the runway, you are walking the streets of New York Fashion Week and those streets might as well be a runway. It's all in the details with this one. From her bag, to her scarf, to her lovely red manicure, to the wind swept mane. To looks fresh, parisian and effortlessly put together. 

5 // Gigi Hadid is all the craze right now. She was flawless in every single one of her shows and she basically is the "it" girl right now and for good reason too. She's not just trendy, but she knows style. She knows it well. Heck, she's probably freezing but she takes a moment to show that she's a fashion force to be reckoned with in that leather jacket of bad-assery. 

6 // At fashion week, especially if you're one of the big gals on campus, you're allowed to wear an oversized orange coat, doc martens and a sweater/cardigan as a scarf. Oh and jeans. Let's not forget the jeans, am I right ladies? Or should I say Leandra? 

7 // My girl Jenna. That. Is. All. 

8 // Her boots may be Stuart Weitzman and her jacket may be Burberry, but her all black look is easy to pull off and a fool-proof guide to your future fashion weeks. 

9 // Caroline de Maigret is my must. I just want to be her. She is the epitome of french je ne sais quoi.  She is THE french girl muse. She is the french girl. Plus, again with the denim and the unique take on the classic stripe. This outfit is telling you that a classic girl must have a camel wool coat and a striped shirt with a blazer for extra style and layering effort (or the lack thereof). 

10 // Winter White! Can we count her pop of color as the cab? Actually, can we really talk about the REAL star of the show, the girl in the background with the plaid coat and fur collar? Um YES! *praise hands* 

11 // Another simple look to pull off that packs a lot of fashion week punch. Sweater dress, check. Leather jacket, check. Black cashmere scarf, check. Black pants, check. White sneakers check! Check, check, check. 

12 // As you can probably tell, I like looks that I could actually wear in real life. This look I would actually wear in real life. 

13 // Get out of here, beautiful fashion model that I wish I could be. When in doubt, all black, all the time. 

14 // Last but not least, everything about this look. The hair. THE HAIR! Of course the camera is all up in her face. This is phenomenal. That orange was everywhere. 

What were some of your favorite fashion week street style looks? 

Comment below! 

Monday Muse{ings} // Muses, lately

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My hair is coated in a coconut mask. Make up off. In the comfiest yoga pants and thriftiest of thrift store shirts. Looking on pinterest at beautiful women and my husband tells me I look like Brienne of Tarth a la Game of Thrones. Bring on the pretty girls that I want to be. Hashtag: Self love. Hashtag: Wishing I was pretty. Hashtag: I'm just kidding. Hashtag: Here are some of my muses, lately. You know, girls that inspire you?

Also, I noticed that a lot of the women featured in these photos are very slim and usually have blonde hair. I just wanted to say that I do like myself and I don't wish to be just like these women. It's just one of those things where you get inspired to dress that way or carry yourself in that way. I just wanted to clarify. ALSO holla to slim girls with blonde hair. They're beautiful. And holla to the girls with hair coated in coconut mask!

1 // I've been thinking a lot about how I will dress when I'm older and wiser and cool like my mom is now (although, my mom has always been cool, she's just a perpetually cool person.) Anyway, yeah, so I've been thinking a lot about that and I've decided I want to still wear jeans and blousy tops. Dress your age, I say, but don't be afraid to channel your inner spirit and throw it back with your style every once in a while. Because a white button-up tunic, light wash jeans, and nude oxfords never killed a middle-aged woman. Mom, you would rock this look btw.

2 // I love ALL black with a pop of blush and gold. Gold, blush, and black. That's all you'll ever need. (I say the same thing about white, grey, and black) Potato, potatah. Bonu points if your pop of blush is a chunky knit beanie and if your pop of gold is a sequin(??) clutch.

3 // I always love styling with minimal jewelry. I am all about basic pieces with stand out patterns that can stand alone. Not that I don't like jewelry. I love it. The only problem is is that I have the hardest time wearing it. Since I was a child, my skin has hated all fake metals (so glam, I know) and I can only wear the real deal (so glam, I know, I know). So I will endure the cheap stuff for a day and suffer for a week (ghastly rash, psoriasis (so glam, I know, I know, I know))...so you don't see me wearing a lot of baubles. Though a girl can dream. Anyway, that's why I love the simple looks. Bonus points if your simple look involves a white dress from Free People with a quirky and awesome grid print.

4 // Because all of us have that inner grunge girl that hangs at the beach in an oversized flannel. Hey, it can get pretty breezy there!

5 // Because all of us not-so secretly wish we could be Lauren Conrad's hair...wait I mean Lauren Conrad. We all wish we could be Lauren Conrad.

Who are your pinterest muses? Any type of girls that you pin too much? Is this a weird phenomenon? AM I THE ONLY GIRL THAT DOES THIS!?! Send help!

Monday Muse{ing} // Miroslava Duma

Another Monday, another muse. Today's muse is Miroslava Duma, the petite former editor of Harpar's Bazaar Russia. This beauty is the queen of street style and you can definitely see why. Just in her late twenties she is a fashion force to be reckoned with. Look, she's one of the most photographed woman in fashion. She's totally down to earth too with her own charity foundation and freelance writing for publications, even one she started herself. How could she not be my muse today? 

Photos // 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

+ s t a y // g o l d

Monday Muse{ing}: Leandra Medine

Whoa! Another series? Will it be as frequent? Will it last forever? Probably not!

Today's Monday Muse is Leandra Medine from only the best online website/blog of all time: Man Repeller.

Type fast because the reads are delightful and the fashion is good.

P.S. All photos are from Pinterest. Next time I'll get all sources, if you for some reason are reading this and know the sources, feel free to do the work for me and comment below. I don't own anything!

1 // You don't know Leandra if you don't know Man Repeller, so I suggest you start reading up. I highly recommend these posts right HERE. *language warnings enforced* P.S. All of the other writers, especially Amelia, are absolutely phenomenal as well. Be ready to laugh, cry, gasp, get inspired, and pillage through your closet look to create outfit replicas. I'LL TAKE THE SEQUIN PANTS PLEASE!

2 // She also hosts a little video series called The Chatroom. It's sponsored by NARS (provocative) and she talks to the most beautiful (inside and out) and stylish people. I could just sit on those stairs with her and talk about chunky clogs and ombre sweaters AND her haircut. Can't forget that awesome bob she's got going on.

3 // She's not afraid to not wear makeup. She's not afraid to mix prints. She's not afraid to be completely obscure and hilarious. She's a BOMB writer. Like so good at writing. And she's not afraid to wear a boxy top with billowing pants.

4 //  She makes you believe in mixing gold, over-the-top heels with a flouncy floral mini skirt, a tribal necklace, and an american flag sweatshirt.

5 // And if we all dressed like this, we'd have the most stylish summers.

6 // She's a classic.

7 // Again, her hair and the neutrals and just the overall "i'm a new york girl with a french girl attitude" aura about her.

8 // She rocks fashion week street style every single time.

9 // And she wears outfits that every girl want so pin on pinterest every single five seconds. This outfit is greeeeeat. I'll take the LOT!

10 // And she'll create an outfit that is so poised and well done but add a necklace that would totally throw it off for Utah standards, but it totally works in all other standards. Ultimately she makes me want to defy the fashion standards around me. You don't have to wear J.Crew all the time, you don't have to wear thrift store clothes all the time, you don't even have to follow trends.

11 // THIS. All. of. This. replicating right now.

12 // And finally a glowing smile with lots of denim makes you ten times more likable.

13 // Oh and since i'm cutting my hair this Friday...she gave me courage. 

+ h a p p y // m o n d a y 

& 

+ s t a y // g o l d

Monday Musing // Warmth

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It's raining outside today. Rainy days are meant for cozy beds and warm drinks with frothy sweetness. It's not the kind of rainy day where you can go outside and dance in it with just a t-shirt and shorts. It's the rainy day that chills your bones and gets you down to your toes. It should be against the rules to go out on a day like this to face the chunks of dirty icy snow and cold drips of water. Stay inside, I say. Stay inside in the fuzziest blanket. Stay inside and eat a heaping bowl of soup. Aw those are the days. Fresh baked bread and a candle that smells like spicy woods.

But when you can't stay inside, when you have to go outside, go outside and spread warmth. Don't make excuses, just do it. Spread all the warmth you can. Be the person that warms others up like the blanket, the candle, the soup, the sweet froth. Be that person.

I try to keep a record of those people in my life. Once I wrote about a man with silvery hair climbing up a hill. I wrote about a boy who opened a door for me. I wrote about a love I once felt. I write about the love I feel now. I write about how I want to pay it forward. Now I must.

Today I write about one of my dearest friends who warmed me today. She sent me an email and it enveloped my heart into a homey little hug. People don't know how their words and thoughtfulness can make an impact. Simple things can make the most beautiful and love-growing things happen. Thank you, Talor. Thank you for being my blanket, soup, and fresh baked bread. This was a quote from the email written by Hannah Brencher. You can replace "Hannah B." for your own name.

"Hannah B— you deserve really good things. You deserve all the things you’re afraid to ask for. Long nights full of good conversation. A chance to start over. Sundays where you don’t work. A great love of your life. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Don’t be afraid if these things come your way. You’ve been afraid to say “yes” for a really long time. Maybe it’s time, Hannah B. Maybe it’s time to say yes"

And then after reading this...I looked out the window to the cold I had to face and I saw all the people I wanted to make warm. And I saw the misty mountains and the soaked trees with the reaching branches. And I saw the wet pavement and I thought of the feet that cross it every day and I thought of all the people again, and then this song came on my spotify, and it was like a movie moment. 

"May the wind be always at your back, and the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall soft upon your fields until the day we meet again. And the roof that hangs over your head find you shelter from the storm. Before the devil knows you're dead, may it be in heaven my friend. May good love find you at your worst and bad love lose you at  your best. May the days be rich and full of wealth, and the nights be long when you need rest." --Delta Spirit, Devil Knows You're Dead

So I'm going to spread my warmth. May the wind be always at your back my friends, and may the sun always shine warm upon your face, because you deserve it.

+ s t a y // g o l d

Monday Musing // The Things of 2014 Past

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Oh I didn't really feel like writing this blog post, but sometimes when I'm at the end of a very productive and tiring day, I feel the deepest need to express the words swirling in my mind trying to connect into much too lengthy and grammatically incorrect sentences.

2014 was an interesting year.

Quite the most interesting of my life, perhaps. So far.

Good things happened in 2014 and bad things happened too.

And so did things that helped me grow an inch or two. Literally, figuratively, whatevertively.

I celebrated a year of marriage to the coolest cat in 2014.

I took care of him at his weakest and I celebrated with him at his strongest.

I built a professional portfolio of written works.

I made new friends.

I let go of lost love.

I accepted my body more.

I accepted health and fitness more.

I met people who taught me light and goodness.

I excelled in things I wanted to excel in.

I found my voice.

I discovered my personal style. I refined it.

I found more and more of myself.

And I changed the parts that needed to change.

I let go of things that hurt me.

I fought with some that wouldn't budge.

And I discovered the most perfect little things that I like about my soul.

Some things I didn't like...

I gained pounds that eat away at me every day.

I cried a lot about silly things.

I looked at myself in the mirror a little too long and wept over scars, marks, and folds.

I contemplated calories and eating a little too much.

I ignored comments and words of affirmation.

I wept justified tears and I lashed out in anger at things not so justified and things of the past.

But despite those bad things, those demons that are still creeping up on me, I'm learning to be resilient.

I'm learning to fight back.

I'm learning to be a voice of courage and love and progress. Moving forward.

I learned about me this past year, and I plan to learn about myself even more.

+ s t a y // g o l d