the times they are a changing...

so with my recent graduation from college, and impending entrance into the world of grown-ups, i've decided that it's time for a change. i've had the same hair "style" for as long as i can remember. and mind you, i use the word "style" rather loosely since my hair is more or less just long with one basic length. too many bad haircuts in the past have led me to be afraid of making too drastic of changes. any who, i was getting a pedicure yesterday and flipping through the latest cosmo i saw a picture of camilla belle and basically gasped when i saw her haircut. it was EXACTLY what i've been thinking i wanted my hair to look like. perrrfect!

i have very, very thick and long hair with a crazy texture that decides on it's own what it wants to do. sometimes it's wavy, sometimes it's curly and other times it's relatively straight. camilla is one of my favorite fashion icons, her sense of style is always put together, but up with trends and she isn't afraid to try new and daring things. also her eyebrows are to die for, and if you haven't noticed i am fully in support of the full eyebrow trend. but her hair also seems to have that same ADD thing going on, sometimes crimpy curly, but polished when it's blown out straight. while the kate middleton is the haircut that i've had my eye on lately, i think camilla's is still close, but a little fuller and sexier. just the look i'm going for. so what do you think- hair do or hair don't?

xx,
Marissa

cause it's the bittersweet symphony, this life

“You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'til sunrise. The work never ends, but college does..." -Tom Petty

gracie, nikki, em, me

sunday officially marked the end of my undergraduate career. yikes! while everything didn't go according to plan- 45 minutes late leaving, extra house guests, crazy families, insane cab drivers- all in all the day turned out amazing. i couldn't have made it through all four years of college without the help of my friends (especially my roommate nikki) and my family (props to my mom and grampie). i've forbidden the topic of graduation to be brought up all year- wishful thinking that if i didn't talk about it, it wouldn't happen. obviously that isn't how things work, and over the past couple days i was able to rethink the concept of graduation not as the end of the past 4 years, but as a celebration of them- all the amazing people i've met, the crazy things i've been privileged to do and the incredible places i've gotten to visit. while i've been freaking out/stressing about college being over all year, listening to the speeches and talking to other graduates has made me realize that almost everyone is in the same boat as i am. this is the time to really think about what you want to do with your life; not what your parents, friends, spouse, family, etc want you to do, and go out there and do it. while money, success and all that would be great- i'd honestly just like to find something that i enjoy waking up every day to do and don't hate at the end of the day when i come home. simple happiness? i'll take it

xx,

Marissa

paper snob

so working in a paper store has made me a bit of a paper snob- i'll admit it. and while most people can't tell the difference between letterpress and thermography, or a good quality piece of stationary from computer paper, i certainly can. my love of all things paper has led me to make many a purchases with my not too shabby discount. cases in point-

Quip Thank You cards

perfect thank you cards. just girly/sweet enough. my favorite.

Striped Notepad

i keep one in my planner, one in my purse and one in my bed side table. always ready to jot down anything i need. and aren't the colors just the cutest.

All Occassion Gift Set

cutest packaging (i'm such a sucker for packaging!). notes for all different occasions- thank you, hello, get well soon, thinking of you. and they have the cutest messages on the front. unexpected, but oh so perfect.

i've developed a bit of a kate spade obsession. not only do i love her clothes, jewelry, shoes, accessories and home items (wow!) , her paper products and stationary are slowly taking over my life. through her twitter i found out that her entire stationary set was available on her website. at my store, we only carry certain products, and the ones that i've truly been drolling over have never come in. now! they're all available online and you better believe i'll be scooping up some more little cuties.

NEED:

Sealed with a Kiss Cards

hello- love.

All Wrapped Up Cards

these are my favorite! pink, bows, stripes, gold- how could you not love them!?

everyone loves getting something besides bills, junk and annoying stuff in the mail. these notes are the perfect pink donut to brighten up someone's day :)

xx,

Marissa

the little things are the sweetest

sometimes, days are just crummy. it may not be bad persee- you know one of those days that isn't anything special. then, something small, like a perfect pink donut can come into your life, put a smile on your face and make you feel better. thanks jillian :) the first blog post i ever wrote said something along the lines of stopping to smell the roses, take the time to enjoy the little things happening everyday, cause this what's happening right now is my life. and pink donuts are one of the little things. here's to more pink donuts in my life, and hopefully, you noticing more in your life too <3

xx,

Marissa

ps. here's another little thing that will bring a little sweetness to your ears. all of their songs are amazing, and they're just too adorable for words. enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/user/PomplamooseMusic#p/c/F125407272F3C1A4/9/8hFT853OYfg

20 years later- but whatevs.

so i'm sure everyone's gotten their fill of the royal wedding. between pictures of the dress, discussion of the hats or analyzing the length and intensity of the kiss- we've heard it all. but, it still was a part of history, a part that we were all present to, and i believe that it owes my own once over. so without adieu-

the dress- gorgeous. timeless. stunning. the adjectives could just continue. the exact dress i designed for kate in my head. just enough grace kelly, with kate's love of modern clean lines. lace sleeves- perfect for a westminster wedding (hopefully a trend that women will realize not everyone can pull off). designed by the house of mcqueen, of course. showed off her ever shrinking waistline, something i'm actually a little concerned about, with it's nipped in waist and a-line skirt.little bit of her jacob's ladder showing in that v-neck slit. all the stress of planning the wedding had to have gotten to her. honeymooning in a remote location- just what the doctor ordered.

the tiara- perfect pic. small, tasteful, gah! of all the tiaras made available, by kate's new unlimited access to the crowned jewels (oh the perks of being a princess), she chose just the right one. and how fitting to choose lizzie's 18th birthday present; i'm sure granny was pleased.

the jewels- what a perfect present from her parents. incorporating the acorns used on her new royal crest, and paying homage to her home town of buckleberry, they were just the right touch and were perfect for her "something new".

the makeup- i heard rumors circling around the morning of that, kate was doing her own makeup for the event. while i'm not sure whether or not the queen would have allowed this, i did read that kate has taken a few makeup lessons from makeup artist arabella preston. would explain her glowing complexion, bright eyes, fresh face and general gorgeousness- well that, or the fact that she was about to marry her boyfriend of 7 years and become a real life princess. either or.

the kiss- the first one, too short. too rushed. no oomph. i mean come on now, some of us had woken up at 3am in order to watch this wedding take place. the least they could do is give us some passion. it is your wedding for christ's sake. the second one, better. still not what a prince kissing his princess for the first time should have been like. no foot pop. no passion. tisk tisk. but come on, look at them. they are adorablee!

the hats- so much ridiculousness. but honestly, what else was to be expected. the hats just got crazier and crazier as the guests continued to arrive, and i loved every one of them. princess beatrice and her sculptural bow definitely took the cake in the crazy hat department. i love the giant coral flower with it's matching lipstick and black tulle; gah. black tulle pulls everything together.

not sure if this is a viral picture yet, but i saw it and thought it was the cutest. however! don't think i didn't notice careful editor who did these pictures- prince charming had brown hair, not blonde and cinderella wasn't a brunette. beatrice and eugenie play the perfect part as the wicked step-sisters. too cute.

just incase you hadn't had your fill of the royal wedding and the duke and dutchess of cambridge.
xx,
Marissa

tough topic- mother's day without a mother

now while thankfully my mother is still a huge part of my day to day life, i know that there are a huge number of girls and young women who this just isn't the case for. case in point, a friend that i work with. she just so happened to have written an amazing article that has been featured on one of my favorite blogs, The Frisky. Here's the link if you want to check it out!   

for me, this really put into perspective just how lucky i am to still have my mother in my life <3

MIA- and no, not the singer

woopsie daisy!

seems that almost an entire month has gone by since i've written a blog post. shame shame, but i guess that's what the end of your senior year will do to you. between regular school work, filling out all the paperwork to graduate, not missing an deadlines for commencement, juggling my two jobs and having a social life- it's been rough. and while i'm not looking forward to being done with school and leaving college (all year i've forbidden the subject to be brought up in front of me and now it just makes me want to cry...), losing the added stress of classes and school work will give me some relief.

but onto happier things! i've been taking pictures and making mental notes of different blog posts that i want to write about, but with everything going on, i just haven't had the time. so here's the quick and dirty of the things i've been wanting to blog about.

impromptu picnics with the roommate.

nice days just make me want to sit outside on the grass and people watch. add some of the best buffalo chicken pizza ever and we've got ourselves a good day.

if you're ever in boston, you have to check out Ernesto's Pizza on Salem St. in the North End!

bomb slices- just let em know i sent ya ;)

french fries from Saus! they're located right next to a major bar area in boston and are open until 2am. perrrrfect for when you're leaving the bar and need something to much on. these things are literally god's gift to earth. sadly, we ate all of them before i got home and couldn't take a picture, so i decided a potato would have to suffice. baha!

my apartment's newest painting. hanging perfectly above my stove in the kitchen. it was my graduation present from my roommate and i am absolutely obsessed with it. see all the abstract sea creatures in the coral? and mermaids, jellyfish and bubbles are my favs.

 loving where i live. boston is absolutely gorgeous this time of the year. sunny skies, a couple clouds and beautiful scenery to look at. sometimes when i'm in a rush; heading to work, running late to class or in a hurry to get where ever i'm going, i forget just how much i love living here. i wouldn't trade it for anything in the world <3

gee thanks man in the red sweater for ruining my perfect shot.

so hopefully all those different topics will make up for the fact that i haven't had any time for updates. expect a blog post tomorrow dishing on one of my favorite subjects. it justtt might have something to do with princesses. any ideas?

xx,

Marissa