friday faves: 9.23.11

helloooooo new format!!  i decided that friday faves should also be the friday FIVE.  so each friday i will highlight FIVE things i've loved.  just an idea - we'll see how it works out!  {but i'm going to keep the title friday faves, for continuity}

here it goes!

notes on the friday faves
1. DIY ruler-mirror frame - simple but awesome!  directions on design*sponge
2. hot pink grandfather clock painted on a door?  yes, please! via the office stylist
3. a field of balloons! as seen in montreal, where a field of 500 balloons went up for the "musée des possibles" or "museum of possibilities."  simply awesome.  see more pictures and an awesome video here.  {discovered on the blog happiness is...}
 4. absolutely killer outfit as worn by emma roberts at the marchesa fashion show in NY.  {note: dress designer unknown - everything i've found just calls it a "prom dress."  frustrating!} image credits --on left: from celebuzz; on right: from street fashion blog, first found on this pinterest board
5. an underwater park, complete with underwater bench!  oh boy, time to head out to green lake in tragoess, austria and experience it for myself!  apparently this is a usually a normal dry park in a valley next to snowy mountains.  but then when it begins to warm, all the snow melts and it is transformed into an underwater park.  seriously, time to go see it for myself!  found on the blog express-o where you can read more and take a video tour of the park.

p.s. all of these images, and much much more, can be found on my pinterest page.  and if you have a pinterest of your own, let me know!

friday faves: 6.17.11

i'm back!  and as weird as it may sound, i really missed blogging/reading blogs.  definitely didn't expect that, but regardless, true story.

so here is my first friday faves post in two weeks but i'm going to make it short & sweet, just five faves from my work trip to mainland china . . .

1. giant stone sculptures

please excuse the tired eyes and no-makeup!  these pictures were taken outside of factories where i worked long days looking at samples, photographing them, and notating all details and intended changes.  still, as tired as i was, i loved these stone sculptures and insisted on taking pictures with them - regardless of how i looked!

2. sparkly sparkles everywhere

one thing i learned about china - there are sparkles everywhere!  it can be a pretty depressing landscape, filled with dust and dirt, but by adding glitter and sequins to everything, people make it even just slightly prettier.  this building is just one example.  [one of the business owners i was with wanted me to take a picture so she could possibly make her storefront look like this too.  how cool is that?!] *picture taken in guangzhou

3. interesting vehicles

no idea what this thing is exactly, but i'm sort of in love with it.  driving around china we saw the most interesting vehicles all over, this is just one that i was able to snap a pic of.  side note: driving in china is completely terrifying.  driving on the opposite side of the road, straddling the center traffic line, and going right towards oncoming traffic (including child bicyclists) without any intent of swerving is all completely acceptable.  t-e-r-r-i-f-y-i-n-g.

4. heineken in china

... in the tiny lil airport.  baller!  i kinda wished the can looked a little more "chinese" but really, i was just crazy happy to enjoy a cold beer after a long morning.  of course, then there was 3 hours of traveling and then back to work.  sigh.

5. ocean views

planes have to land on this tiny strip of land in the middle of the ocean

view of macau

pretty pretty ocean

loved all these little islands

due to the nature of my trip (work, work, work... & more work), i didn't get to see the beauty of mainland china.  the one time i really did get to see some was on our ferry ride from hong kong to zhongshan.  the ocean was just beautiful.  i wished so badly to be out there actually experiencing it rather than in a bumpy ferry, but i was still lucky to have seen it at all.

okay, now back to the office!  time to type up notes and prepare our line for the wholesale show in only one month.  and i thought work would slow down once the store closed.  silly, silly me!

{more pictures and stories from china still to come}
~all pictures taken by me, on my junky little nikon

etc: i'm off!

okay one last post, i promise!  and then it's off - to o'hare, to my 15.5 hour flight, to hong kong! 

i had to do a quick last post because i am just so proud of myself and needed to toot my own horn here on my lil bloggy.  why am i so proud, you ask?  because of my mad packing skills!  a week and a half, another country, both work and play... and i only have two tiny carry-ons and one medium checked bag!  i used to huge suitcases of junk wherever i went but apparently the years of getting made fun of from family members paid off and i have done a complete 180!  now i'm a savvy packer - prepared for different situations but not loaded down with a ton of baggage [hmmm... i bet that would make a really good analogy...!]. 

how i used to be!

i have: 1. my purse with all the essentials [wallet, iPad, little pillow, etc.]; 2. a little backpack with 3 days of clothes [in case my checked luggage gets lost - like i said, prepared for all sorts of different situations!]; 3. a medium sized suitcase to be checked.  now here's the awesome part! : inside the medium suitcase is another small, carry-able suitcase.  this way, i can buy whatever i want and still get it all home!  now, i don't expect to necessarily spend all my hard-earned money while in china but like i said - all different situations.  after i saw how little i packed i was at first worried that i forgot some essentials, but after many double, triple, quadruple checks, i realized that somehow i really did have it all - and in a super compact way!

so TOOT TOOT!  props to me - proof that it is possible to teach an old(ish) dog new tricks. 

here's to hoping this confidence high carries stays with me during this huge adventure!

xx, kait

pretty picture: resting on the steps

something about this photo makes me want to travel to some old city, most likely in europe, walk around like a tourist & just revel in the beauty of architecture that has seen generations & generations of fellow wanderers.  & then when i'm tired, plop down on the steps and just be.

funny how a photo can illicit so many emotions & daydreams!

maybe one day...

susan eldride for vogue deustch

via simply seductive