Spaces & Faces: Sophia

Meet one of my roommates from Seattle: Sophia! We only got to live together for a couple months before I moved, but they were some damn good months. Not only do we get along really well, but look how cute her sense of style is!

I love this idea– she added velcro to the back of her makeup palettes so she could hang them on the wall and easily remove them to do her makeup. This is a great space saver and a really unique way to decorate your walls.

These skulls are leftover from her birthday party (her birthday is on Halloween, so all the decor was spooky themed). I love this Bob's Burger's window poster– it's from the first episode and you can actually see it from the street below us.

OOTD: Parks

My final big Seattle bucket list outing took me to two locations: Kerry Park and Gasworks Park. It was so windy at both locations that my hair was all over the place. I tried my hardest to make it part of the ~aesthetic~. Kerry Park has one of the best views of Seattle I've ever seen: it's way up on the top of the hill that makes up Queen Anne, so it has an ideal vantage point that overlooks the cityscape.

Gasworks Park also had a beautiful view of the city, with these beautiful old machines overgrown with ivy. My mom and I got so cold with our single outer layers that we had to leave after fifteen minutes!

Spaces & Faces: 3201

Welcome to my apartment! (Finally). I've lived here since October 2015, but apparently it's taken me over a year to finally get my room to the point where I can put it on the blog. Now, just in time for me to move out in a couple weeks, here is a look at my living space.

My bed is where I spend most of my time. I've had most of these pillows and this duvet cover since freshman year, so my room aesthetic has largely remained the same. Emily painted this beautiful piece of art as a rough draft for an incredible gallery piece she did, and I got to keep it because I was one of the people that posed for her.

I've slowly been building up this gallery-style wall since I moved in: it was originally just the quote cards, but has since grown to incorporate my first-ever wedding invite, my sister's grad announcement, some DIYs, and some miscellaneous pictures.

I love the aesthetic that hanging up my jewelry creates. Not only is it like a little wall of art, but it's a super practical way to store my necklaces.

I love my &s: I hope to acquire more of them as I continue decorating my living spaces.

The foot of my bed features some of my own paintings of little succulents.

All of our furniture came from the university, but we do our best to spice it up with our own unique touch, like these DIY wine bottle vases.

Carolyn has a bunch of really cute quote canvases: these are two of my favorites. It doesn't hurt that they're both so aesthetically pleasing.

Living with two dogs (and three women) is a whole bunch of fun. We spend a lot of Friday nights together on the couch watching Harry Potter movie marathons and sharing junk food.

Seattle Bucket List

In June, I realized that I don't have long left in the city I've called home for the last three years. If I'm going to do everything I want to in Seattle, I have to get on it, because I don't have much time left. So, I asked all my Seattle friends places that they recommend I go before I leave. The result is my Seattle Bucket List.

I've actually been to quite a few places on my bucket list since June. I'll continue to keep track of which boxes I've ticked off as I continue to explore.
Volunteer Park Conservatory
Woodland Zoo
South-Lake Union
Golden Gardens park
Ballard farmer's market
Gasworks park & Kerry park
West Point Lighthouse

Summer in Seattle

As my third year of college comes to a close, I've been getting excited to spend my second summer living in Seattle. Last year, I spent a lot of time with a partner-in-crime, but I'm excited to be able to take the city alone this summer. Last weekend, I went to Alki Beach for the first time since living in Seattle. There, I saw the best view of the city I've ever seen. Having this new experience and seeing my city from a new perspective encouraged me to think about what I want to do this summer in Seattle. 

1. Take a road trip: I've taken many road trips over the years, but I haven't had the chance to do so with a group of friends. With so many wonderful places within driving distance (Portland, Vancouver BC, the Oregon Coast, etc.), I can't wait to see where I end up.
2. Get a tattoo: When I was 18, I had a plan to get a tattoo to celebrate going a year without self-harming. My parents eventually ended up telling me that I couldn't get a tattoo while I was still living under their roof, so I postponed the plan. It's been a couple years and I no longer live with my parents, so I think it's time to acknowledge the strides I've made in dealing with my chronic depression.
3. Explore the city: I can't believe it took me three years to finally get on a ferry and explore the islands outside of Seattle. I don't want to look back at my time in Seattle and feel like I didn't see enough of the city I lived in. There are lots of beautiful places within the realm of public transportation, which leaves me with no excuse to stay on my side of town.
4. Make time to do arts and crafts: I love to paint, embroider, and follow DIY tutorials. I don't have a lot of time to be creative for long periods of time during the school year, so I want to take advantage of the time I have available this summer,
5. Read for fun: I'm taking two online classes this summer, but I'll still have more time and energy to read outside of my assigned reading. 
6. Write something: During the school year, I write so much academic material that I'm not left with a lot of energy to write anything longer than a blog post. Creative writing has always been a big part of my life, and I want to be able to allow myself time to do it.
7. Find some post-grad options: I'm graduating in six months! I have a lot of ideas about what I want to do when I graduate (teaching in South America, writing in New York, etc.) but eventually I'll have to put something into action.