5 things (but really 6)

In the hectic atmosphere of the week, my five things list is a little late. Here we go:
1. It is snowing! Finally, for the first time this year, we're getting a really good snow. It's been snowing all day and I love it. Plus that means lots of powder in the mountains.

2. In a few hours I will be heading up to Breckenridge ski resort where my and two other families have rented a huge house and will be spending the weekend up there. Helmets for safety!

3. After approximately two weeks of strictly keeping myself from picking at or cutting my nails, they have finally grown out. This is the longest theyve been since I was about five.

4. While in Santa Barbara a few days ago, there happened to be a Juicy Couture Store, and of course, I could not resist going in and checking out the merchandise. Well just my luck that a bracelet I've been eyeing for months is not only on sale, but they're having a special of 50% off of all sale items. So this bracelet, originally around $100 is all mine for only $35!

5. All my new Anthro clothes! Like I talked about here I went shopping with my mom a couple weeks ago and picked out what I wanted. So excited to wear these. (Will post about these soon) Here's a sneak peak:

 6. I do not hate people, they're quite alright!

The Quest is Over!

I have been searching for espadrille wedges with ribbons for two years. HALLELUJAH! I love these more than life itself. Must buy...therefore must save $150. Darn price tag.

Jenny Espadrille
Juicy Couture
$150

Home from the Holidays

Last night after a delayed flight and a week in the LA area I arrived back home, much to my relief. I love California, I love my family and I love Christmas but after a hectic week it was very nice to be home. While greatly enjoying sleeping in my own bed and being restored to my technological dependency, I wouldn't miss out on my annual trip to SoCal for the world. Here is a recap in pictures:

taking family portraits on sculptures that we are not supposed
to climb. rebel family's Xmas card

half my dad's side eating xmas feast
we're your typical giant Polish family...except not at all





little sis and uncle making caramelized chocolate bread pudding



beach UCSB

best friends<3
I love my cousin

visited my mom's old sorrority house at her old college-UCSB

half of mom's side

Cioth family 2010

Urban and Sweaters

Last week while shopping with my cousin I finally remembered to photographically document one of my favorite sweaters from Wet Seal.

worn with Pac Sun skinny jeans and Gianni Bini booties



my cousin was mortified that I asked her to photograph
 me walking.

  We also stopped at Urban Outfitters after stuffing ourselves with all the food Pearl Street has to offer, and I found several must-have pieces, however, decided to wait till a couple went on sale. (Note to self, shop before eating)


green cardigan, army style, will go back to buy



this sweater was actually an XL but instead of a sweater with jeans

I wanted to expirement and see if it would be cute oversized with a belt.

I would wear leggings but didnt have any on me.

white blouse with frill detail-on sale-bought

navy skirt-so cute but waiting for sale

Topshop Rookie

I've heard of Topshop many times, from other blogs, fashion magazines, and other people, but never actually went to the site. Even at the opening page, I was blown away. So high fashion and exciting. I was even more excited when I viewed items like these:

skirt by Meadham Kirchoff £40.00

Light Print Dress by Marios  £75.00

Gathered Skirt by TV £125.00

Stripe Garcon Tee by Ashish £30.00

Fell in love with this bracelet:

Black Leather Mixed Metal Cuff 

And felt that finding this adorable umbrella was perfect for the weather outside:

Rose Frill Umbrella from Topshop £15.00

Rain Rain go away

I'm here in California and the weather could not be more dreary. It is pouring and never stops for more than thirty seconds before starting up again full force.

My cousins and I were planning on going for a run to work off the immense amount of Polish food we are stuffed with by our Babcia (grandma) but clearly that's not happening. Hopefully there is a let up or I'm gaining back all that weight my Babcia claims I have lost.

Funny things said by grandparents to keep us going:

Babcia: Oh no I lost my earring...Now I only have one in and people will think I am gay. I am not gay I promise!

DziaDzio: I'll have some wine, but careful, I can't get drunk!

Babcia: What is it they say at the airport these days, Don't touch my junk? What is that nonsense?

DziaDizio: What is that hole in your jeans Leah? Do you want me to mend it for you?
Babcia: No DziaDzio, that's "fashion" these days, though in Warsaw it'd be "poor."

Ce Fiore and Bon Voyage

My cousin has been in town the last few days, and we've had so much fun together. We've hit the mall, and scored some wonderful sale items (will post later), watched some good movies on demand, worked off the immense amount of sugar we've consumed, and today we toured Boulder on Pearl Street. Tomorrow we fly to LA to meet the rest of our family for Christmas and say goodbye to Boulder for a week.

I'm the younger (and taller one). Cousin wasn't too happy that I wore heels
to maximize my height advantage.

Burritos from Boulder: Illegal Pete's

 For lunch I took her to a popular local place-Illegal Pete's. She approved of the food.

yum yum yum
we couldn't finish-the burritos are giant!

the remnants of a delicious cupcake

 Next for a little dessert (after walking off our large lunch) we stopped at Tea & Cakes, a delightful little cupcake shop and cafe, well known for their Bacon Cupcake. We stuck with the red velvet and peppermint though, which we demolished quicly.

 Finally we stopped at the frozen yogurt shop, one of my favorite places, Ce Fiore and got a yogurt to share with strawberries, raspberries and gummy bears. Scrumptious!

Tomorrow we'll take off for California, though don't be fooled, it will not be warmed. Last week forecasts were high 80's, even low 90's, and excited was I, as usually it's rainy and low sixties in LA for Christmas, and a prospect of shorts and swimsuits was oh so tantalizing. However, it has resumed to it's usual self with weather in the low sixties and high fifties with plenty of rain and thunderstorms. Not too different from Boulder. But I am excited for the family, food and cheer that comes along with my annual visit. California here I come!

Baudelaire Braids

I had one of the most wonderful finals last week. I know, how could I put wonderful and final in the same sentence? Well, for the last section of my history final, we watched Lemony Snicket-A Series of Unfortunate Events and related it to history. For example, there are good people and bad people, and endings aren't always tidy and perfect. Anyways, not the point. While also scanning for history themes, I couldn't help but adore Violet Baudelaire's hair and wardrobe. I know, that seems odd, as her style is gothic and dark, while I prefer a more classic and colorful palette. Not to mention that most would refer to her hair as a mess of braids and bangs. However, I actually found elements in both that I simply cannot wait to make my own.

Definitely not referring to her dirty apron here, but for some reason I
can't stop loving her braids.

 Only some pieces are in braids, the others down in a messy style, but I want to try and do something like this with my hair. Definitely fueling my obsession with braids as of late.

love her dress

 Though I surely am not interested in trying fish net sleeves, I do like the skirt of her dress, quite a lot. Though dark and gothic, it has a vintage element to it and...almost a high fashion component in that it's not perfectly assembled, but so....perfect. This may sound wierd but what if you took her dress, shortened it to just above the knees with more tulle underneath it, black tulle, peaking out, and removed the fish net sleeves, replaced them with black lace sleeves, then cinched the waist tighter and made the neckline square and plunged it with some more black lace on the edges. Add with really high black platform heels, or perhaps black booties like this:

Badgley Mischka 'Olaf' Bootie

Ironically this boot is named the Olaf Bootie, and Olaf is the name of the villain in the series. Anyways that's just the feel I was thinking from her dress if that makes any sense at all.

Her coat her coat her coat!

 I adore everything about Violet's coat. It's classic, I can't get enough of the slight puff to the sleeves and buttons, and the cinching at the waist is divine. I also love cloak Sunny (the baby) is wearing. It's too adorable and pulls it off without feeling too little-red-riding-hood-esque.

another shot of those intruiging braids

Once again, love her braids, especially when she ties her ribbon through them, and also love her necklace. The idea of incorporating velvet in jewelry has been of great interest to me lately.

When Christmas Comes to Town

My little sister performed her first solo at her select choir's (Pzazz) Christmas concert, When Christmas comes to town. I'm immensely proud of her, and had to fight the tears when she was singing. She's worked incredibly hard on this solo and she is so talented. <3

5 Things (but really 6)

My Young Life leader, Kara, absolutely hates when I am negative, particularly this little phrase: I hate people. My friends and I use it all the time, mainly jokingly, occasionally with certain persons in mind, but it absolutely drives her crazy. So in order to break me of this habbit she initially tried charging me a quarter everytime I said it. I owe her something like 50 dollars now but it certainly didn't break me, and she also had no way of enforcing me to pay. (Doesn't look good when college students look like they're trying to steal money from their high school kids.) So she came up with a new way, making me list five things I love about my life, every single week, followed by a number six, with some type of statement indicating, I do not in fact hate people. So since I am way too busy with finals to post a real post (and let's be honest, no one is fashionable finals week, not even myself and blogging about sweats every day is not very intrigueing) I figure I can post this for now.
Kara's List: 12/14/10
1. My dear cousin, Talia, will be flying in from California in three days. I am extremely excited.

talia and I as babies (she's the older one)
this was my first Christmas
Best friends from the start

2. I will be in LA in one week! (I go every year. I go to California a minimum of twice a year. It's like a second home.)

Me and the family at the tidepool beach in LA

3. The present I got Kara, is insanely awesome. It has been quite challenging not to tell her. (Will post about this later, but for now no hints just in case she sees this before I give it to her tomorrow.)

4. I found an old journal entry from when I was ten, depicting my Christmas. I used terms like "I am rather tired" and "I HIGHLY doubt it." Very nostalgic.

A picture of me at the age I wrote the letter
also with my two sisters

5. When Talia gets here my mom is letting us go shopping at Anthropologie for our Christmas gifts. SO excited.

 Here are some ideas cousin!

6. (Kara's favorite) I do not hate people, in fact some of them are quite enjoyable.

Thank God for Elf

I hate finals. I really really truly despise them. I do fairly well in school, especially considering I'm in all advanced classes, but the problem is my strategy: Pay attention maybe every other day in class, but mostly just sit there, space out and doodle, and then cram the night before a test and perform what I like to call test bulimia. I suck in all the knowledge, then puke it on the test and have it no more. Which works fine for the majority of the year, but then I get the fun job of re-learning an entire semester. I'm starting to rethink my test bulimia strategy....thankfully, in the midst of a miserable weekend of studying and stressing and feeling anything but Christmas cheer, my Young Life leaders threw a little get together for all their Young Life girls, saving me from my hundreds of notecards and piles of textbooks.

There were about 13 of us (some left before the group picture).

It was sorta like a little camp reunion and we watched the movie Elf.

I'd never seen it before but it most definitely lived

up to my expectations. (Also fueled my current obsession with Zooey Deschanel)

photo credit: Jessica Merheb

We decorated cookies! (GINGER COOKIE in the middle)



photo credit: Jessica Merheb

We had a white elephant gift exchange. I brought a jar of pickles, Jessie opened them. "Well it's not a jar of pickles...."

photo credit: Jessica Merheb

 The socks Jessie brought, and yes they have pink hair and are eating your feet.

photo credit: Jessica Merheb

 Carlee even decorated cups for us with our names and some christmas doodle! (Mine were stars)

photo credit: Jessica Merheb

 Beloved Leader #1: Kara Vosburgh, with a giant xmas bow on her head. DELTA

 Beloved Leader #2: Carlee Ann Easton, who has on a delightful sweater (dolphins with santa hats surrounded by starfish) and a penguin mug.

You can't hang out with Kara without at least one DELTA picture. TRIDELT <3