6.28.2011

GREAT NEWS

So pardon my absence, but I have a legitimate reason. I just launched my own website! It's just a little resume style website, something to point people towards when I graduate and start looking for a job (eek!) but I wanted to let you know because I have also moved my blog over to wordpress.
so check out my site at www.erindepew.com
and my blog at www.erindepew.com/blog
Although I realize switching over is pretty much suicide for followers, I've enjoyed you all so much that I hope you make the jump with me!

6.15.2011

And it's coming....

Ugh! I didn't realize how much work I was getting myself into here! In between working my two jobs, taking classes, and setting up life as normal (ie internet, water, electricity...) trying to get my living space in order has been ridiculous!
But me and my roommates are still plugging along at it, and the ETA for it being finished is Friday since we want to have a party this Saturday in our new apartment, and I wouldn't say no if it spread out onto the roof.

But here's a few photos of the before and semi-after as you can see I'm only half finished refinishing the floor, so we'll just say that it's the before and middle :).
Who knew a girl like me would be frequenting Home Depot so often? There's been spackling, sanding, caulking, a belt sander, floor varnish, re-wiring, replacing doorknobs.... god. The list goes on.

So anyway, here's the before (Not pictured: me pulling 57 6" nails out of my wall. What was this guy hanging!?!):



God, this floor was just killing me. Apparently the previous tenant just decided one day to rip up the carpet and not do anything else. It still had rug staples and nails sticking up out of it! It's a beautiful wood floor though, and the landlord recommended to just put a carpet back over it, but I couldn't.


And the work in progress. But I think it's starting to look much better. A fresh floor, new white paint, some curtains and a good clean-up. It's coming along.



Although here you can see where I finished varnishing the floor yesterday. So today's project after work, finish the floor and put ALL of my stuff back into my room.


I can't wait to show you guys when it's all done. So bear with me and my absence! I'll be back soon when the crazy leaves, I promise.

5.23.2011

Inspiration (Home Style)

I'm still gathering up some inspiration for what I want to do with this new apartment, but here's my moodboard of sorts. Some things that I definitely know I want: orchids, a sheep rug, a big mirror leaning against the wall, black laquer furniture, lots of little picture frames on the wall with photos or without, soft lighting, sheer curtains, vintage mannequins.
The color scheme I want is similar to my own wardrobe, black, grey, white, cream, and maybe a soft pink, though I'm definitely leaning towards painting my walls either a linen color or the lightest shade of tea green.












5.19.2011

Transitional

It's moving day here, so I have all of my stuff packed up and ready to go. I'm just crossing my fingers that all of it will fit in the back of a truck, as I refuse to deal with a moving van.
It's such a strange feeling seeing everything you own in one neat little pile. I still feel like I have too much, but c'est la vie.


I feel really nervous and my stomach is tight. Probably because this will be the first time that I'm not living with some sort of parent figure around to be a safety net if shit hits the fan. Now that I'm moving off University property, this is my first "real" apartment. I'm scared, nervous and very excited. 
Of course, Residential Life left me with one more kick in the ass to make sure that I'm more "good riddance" and excited than scared. Apparently I have to leave on the 19th, no exceptions, even though I explained that I can't move into my apartment until June 1st. Can't we work something out? 
Of course not, because that's the way things work and if we started making exceptions the world would fall apart. 
Ah... bureaucracy. How I despise thee. 
So I'm camping out on my girl friend's couch for the next 12 days. But I'm so excited to have a little place of my own to decorate. 


I took a quick snapshot of my bedroom after we signed the lease, and the rest of the apartment is gorgeous and so much space! My bedroom is on the long and narrow side, so behind me is more space and a walk in closet. Also outside that window is the fire escape which leads directly to the rooftop. Sweet. 
I'm already thinking of what I want to do to it, after I clean up the shit that the previous tenant left. I already know I want to keep those gorgeous 20th century hardwood floors. They just need a good polish. We're ripping down those horrendous floral curtains and putting up something lighter, and the whole place needs a good coat of white paint. As for the rest... I need to wait and gather some inspiration. I've never dealt with interior design on a shoestring budget, but it can't be that much different than fashion! 

5.16.2011

Weekend Outfit

Here's my outfit I wore today for bumping around town, running a few errands, helping my friend pack and for a late night coffee date. So something stylish, comfy, that I can pretty much do backflips and jumping jacks in was necessary.


Also I was super proud of my mad make-up skillz... check out the subtle day time cat eye. It's small steps but at least I'm going somewhere and being able to draw a straight line is a big leap.



And yes, I realize I'm only 20 and have forehead wrinkles. I blame finals week and too much caffeine, hopefully they'll fade when I start to sleep regular hours again. 

5.14.2011

Do it in the AM

Some Saturday party music...



Do it in the AM by Frankmusik

5.11.2011

BRB

Finally finishing up the semester with finals week and trying to find an apartment for the next year. We have a candidate (a lovely little duplex in Brooklyn) and might possibly be signing the lease tonight, so wish me luck!

In the meantime, here's a video of a funny dog with eyebrows... because it's Wednesday and I could use a smile:

5.10.2011

New Trench

My old trench coat is starting to fray at the edges. While I'm just tempted to call it a fashion statement, it might be time to retire it and find a new one.



I'm considering this one from J. Jill. I like the crinkly fabric, and it's a little different because it has no buttons and closes just with a tie belt like a wrap. Plus, it's only $49.99 right now which doesn't hurt, but I have a feeling that the sizing is going to be too big for me. 

What do you think? Try the more relaxed version or stick with a more traditional trench coat? 


5.09.2011

Spring Time in the City

A few more photos as I was traipsing around the city this week. 
I'm so excited because a few of my photos are going up in my school's art gallery for the summer, which is such an honor at my artsy campus! I'll be sure to take pictures of it when it goes up.






And an old one, I found this again as I was cleaning out my external hard drive. It's from a month or so ago, but it's so rare that my two little sisters and I are all in the same photo together! Aren't they pretty? I miss them already, but the one in the middle is coming to live with me during the summer in New York with two of her friends, so I'm super stoked. It's my graduation present to her : )

5.06.2011

Rolling in the Deep

Love this girl with my heart and soul, such a great song and music video.
You really don't hear artists like Adele often, not only does she have an AH-mazing voice, but she has some serious soul. Listening to her new album I feel like half of them were written by a friend confiding in me and saying "I've been there in spades darling, just listen..."
As for the other half, they still make my chest absolutely ache. She has such a heartbreakingly beautiful and emotive voice.
As for this one? This is definitely a *sigh* I've so been there... song.



Rolling in the Deep by Adele

5.05.2011

More Work Outfits

It seems that the only time I have an extra few minutes to snap photos is before work, just because I'm super organized like that.
Anyway, the only exception to the all-black uniform is when you wear Malia Mills designs. This is hilarious because literally everything that Malia designs is also black. Or grey if we're getting real crazy. Such as this dress which I fell in love with when I was interning with her is the Mui Nei dress. It's a very light black stripe on white, and they have it in stores in black also which I might have to pick up.
Also I'm wearing my new double finger ring! You can't really see it, but I thought I would just celebrate that :P
And the sandals? Yeah, this is their fourth year being a standby for me. I've brought them in to be fixed so many times my cobbler is starting to make fun of me.



(uhh.... sort of an attempt at showing my new ring.) 

5.04.2011

Gap Design Editions

Such a perfect pair of spring shoes.... I'm off to see if they're in stores and check the quality (it is Gap after all). Gap, you better not mess this up for me...



5.03.2011

Shoes That Are So Bad, They're Good

I understand that there are some parts of fashion that are just simply not flattering, but that we (or perhaps just I) wear because they're fun and I enjoy just looking at them. Flatforms would be a perfect example of this. I understand that they do nothing for the figure, but I enjoy the way they look regardless of how they look on me.



That got me thinking, and I realized there's a few other shoe styles that I love regardless, or perhaps because, of their fugliness.

Cut-out wedges....



Split toe shoes...



I feel a shoe binge coming up in my near future....

5.02.2011

Visualize the Wishlist

I'm a very picky shopper. If I had enough of a budget to shop retail and money was no object, I'd be AN INCREDIBLY PICKY SHOPPER.
As it is, I tend to visualize exactly what I want in an item and I just have to wait until it trots on by.
Pour example,  I'm on the hunt for a pair of red pumps, 3.5 - 4.5 inch heel, patent leather, stiletto heel, almond toe, .5-1 inch platform. I'm looking for a black work blazer, slim cut, falling around hip length, no padding in the shoulders, two buttons, no pockets or extra buttons, notch lapels, tropical wool or thick cotton, long sleeves that are actually the correct length (good luck on that one).

Anyway, it's easy enough for me to find these items on say, Net-a-porter, but I've been waiting a year and change for these items to stumble into my life at a price I can also afford.

So my question is, am I just a little bit of a perfectionist or a crazy shopper? Or will you guys also wait over a year and make do until you find the perfect item?

4.29.2011

I Wrote the Book



I Wrote the Book by Beth Ditto

I have a serious girl crush on Beth, but I've never actually sat down and listened to her songs. I've had this stuck in my head all week.

Body Chain

I finally had the chance to wear my body chain out (and had time to take some pictures, that was key). So here's a peek of how I decided to wear it. Originally I had wanted to throw a jacket or blazer over this whole ensemble, but it was much too hot.




If you're interested, the designer is Linquist Jewelery at Etsy. The chain is quality stuff, very light, easy and well-made. I honestly kept forgetting I was wearing it until someone would invariably comment on it.

4.28.2011

Inspiration

Here's what's on my mood board at the moment:







Photos courtesy of: Kingdom of Style, Delightfully Tacky,Coinonia, Miss at la Playa, Luphia Loves, Knight Cat

4.27.2011

The Dating Game

 I think it's funny how my girlfriends and I all approach dating differently. We all rate people based on three pretty simple factors: intelligence, looks, personality, and I like to add "charisma".

However, I'm queen of first dates. I tend to rely heavily on "charisma" or chemistry for lack of a better word, and if I don't feel that butterflies/fuzzy feeling/dizziness/stomach drop within the first ten or fifteen minutes this is probably not going to work between us.

As for the other three, my usual m. o. is that:
1. he must have all three.
2. the combined sum of all three must be at a certain level (ex. 7+7+7= 21, and so do 7+9+5=21)
3. none of these factors can drop beneath a certain level.

I am such a math geek, but I still think it's a sound system.

This is a long and drawn out post to say that I'm dating again and I happen to have two guys that have made it   to second dates and will possibly have thirds.

One is tall, drool-worthy and blonde, very smart and is quick in conversation, but is lacking in the personality department.
One is smart as hell, makes me laugh until I almost choke on my food, but he's short and while he's in good shape, his face isn't anything to write home about.

So my system has failed. They both pass it and we both have chemistry, so now what?

4.26.2011

MM Gal

It seems that I'm going to be at Malia Mills again this summer, but instead of working in the studio with their buyer, I'm working as a sales girl.
I'm not going to lie, I'm super stoked for the summer. This is probably one of the cushiest summer jobs I've had in a long time. It's a product I can get excited about, a company I love, and the whole atmosphere is very chill.
So this is my third week working for them, and I thought I'd snap a quick photo of my work outfit when I got home last night. The only uniform requirement is it's all black, and trust me, in my closet that's not a problem.

*Mental note, taking photos with flash at night does very strange things to my eyes and skin. Do not repeat. And more than four hours of sleep a night wouldn't be a bad thing...

4.25.2011

From Russia With Love



Looovveee this dress, so sexy!
Come to my closet pretty...

4.22.2011

Judas

Loving Lady Gaga's new single Judas, check it out:



Judas by Lady Gaga

4.21.2011

Light Up Shoes

OMG, why has no one thought of this before? They're like the grown-up version of those light up sketchers sneakers that I had as a kid (in neon pink, if you must know).



While the shoe itself is pretty fugly, the concept is completely blowing my mind. Could I please have these made with a slick, frosted lucite heel and platform and a plain patent-leather black upper?
'k, thanks.

4.20.2011

Red Pants

I don't know what's wrong with me, wanting all of this color. But hey, it must be spring fever or something.
The latest on my red/orange color wish list is a pair of red skinny jeans. How hot would these look with a sheer white button down and some cute sling back sandals?



Because, if I buy these I'm certain that I'll look as awesome as this girl:

4.19.2011

Baby Eagles!

On a random side-note, check out this live streaming video from Iowa of a bald eagle's nest with baby chicks! I've been watching absolutely mesmerized, they're so adorable...

Check it out here.

4.18.2011

Perfect Persimmon Tote

I think I have found my absolutely perfect summer bag. Canvas, decent size, punchy color, lady-like shape, and best of all? Since it's from Land's End it's super cheap.

4.15.2011

Rumor Has It

I love the pipes on this girl, what a drop dead sexy voice and kick ass attitude. Loves.



Rumor Has It by Adele

4.14.2011

:)

This definitely made me smile today. What? I have the sense of humor of a fifteen year old boy, and I've come to love and accept that.

Besides, these two stores are a match made in strip mall heaven.


Photo courtesy of Refinery29