when boredom strikes

recently, my attraction to leather has become more of an obsession. even for summer, i am absolutely in love with most of the leather pieces i've been seeing lately. whether it be a bustier, a simple tee, or a full length jumpsuit, i love it all. 

a while ago, i was making a rather simple chiffon cut-out dress when i stumbled across this amazing fabric. it definitely added the dimension it was needing. images of that to follow. i ended up getting a couple yards because it was an extra 50% off (HOLLA), and a girl can never have too much leather laying around.

a couple weeks ago, i pulled it out and decided to just make a crop top. i've been wanting a leather shirt for a few months now, and i am lucky enough to have taken (and passed) a few sewing classes, so i just went for it. i pretty much just took two measurements, no pattern, and figured i would wing it. how the hell it turned into this beauty, i have no idea. 

and i actually hemmed something for once in my life.

and the effing sleeves are even, people.

if you know me at all, you know how much i despise hemming anything. but i did it. and i fucking rocked it. i am so happy with it. 

i really dig how fake it looks. it was not meant to look like some beautiful italian soft-like-butter leather, and i even think pairing it with a more realistic looking leather garment could make something great, too. for now, though, i decided to put it with this gorgeous olive skirt from H&M. both pieces fit me like a glove. 

i'm wearing my usual gold accessories: a bracelet from Stella & Dot, a chain necklace/bracelet from Torrid, and rings from H&M. i used to hate gold more than anything, but in the past few months, i've worn silver about two times. hoping to get a little more into mixing metals, soon, though.

by the way - hands down the best lipstick for summer is MAC's Lady Danger. I cannot begin to explain how necessary it is. get it now.

i am so thankful for my sister. there was gorgeous light out that day just before dusk, and she whipped out her camera for a quick 10 minute session. love how these turned out, and so stoked about my new shirt that i want to wear with everything.  i'm contemplating setting up my own sweatshop for these babies. it is too good not to share!

A little history (actually a lot), and some happiness

So here's the deal. My life has changed so drastically in the past year that I can barely comprehend how much has actually went down. 

It is crazy to think that just a year ago, I was halfway through my second year of post-high school education. I was stressing over finals, making Starbucks runs like it was my job, chewing my nails down to nothing, and crying over algebra. There was also an insane amount of snow on the ground, which made the treck to the library less likely, and days of hot chocolate and Christmas movies so much more appealing. 

I can't recall the actual day that it happened, but I remember being on my bed studying for my French final, thinking about school as a whole, and what I wanted to do after graduation. It was then that I realized I was unhappy. 

I had really, really awesome friends. And when I say awesome, I mean fucking great. I could not have asked for better people to be surrounded with. I can't count how many times I almost pissed myself laughing, or the gross amounts of junk food I would eat with the greatest people ever. Chocolate and Cheez-Its for dinner? why not. I also had the greatest living situation ever: cheapest rent in the world, a swimming pool for when it becomes bloody hot, like 100 degrees hot and great roommates. 

Classes weren't too hard. I was getting decent grades (with the exception of math, because math is the bane of my existence), and the work load wasn't unbareable. 

But even with all that, I still felt unhappy. My dad had just moved down to California. That was crushing. I have never cried that much over saying good-bye to my cat ever. Also, my dad and I are insanely close. It was really hard to realize that when I came home for breaks, he wouldn't be there, and I couldn't go to his house anymore. 

The easiest way I can describe my feelings at the time would be to just say I felt mediocre. I didn't have to worry about money, I didn't have to worry about school being insanely hard, I had a great place to live, and great friends, but it still wasn't enough for me. I wasn't being challenged. I wasn't in a position to even challenge myself. I have spent my whole life dealing with obstacles (as we all do) in such an intense way, that I felt so bored with my life. I went from one small town, to another, and it just was not big enough. I needed more. I needed to be pushed. I needed to be told I can't. I needed people to say I can do better, or I can try harder. I wasn't getting any of that. From my peers, or my professors. I knew I was capable of so much more, but I just needed a push to make it happen. 

So I did. I started looking into going to other schools. Of course, down in California, where the sunshine always beams down with it's sunglasses (why?? why do kids always draw the sun with sun glasses?? it doesn't need them!). I found a few, applied to one, and got in. 

Then I realized, financially, it was not the smartest plan. I could not live with my dad, because he lives waaaay too far from school. And this was a private school, so the prices were jacked. So, I started the search for another school back home in Seattle. I applied and got into the program I wanted, as well, and my financial situation was a little better, even though I would have to have a job during school.

I stayed at my school for the spring semester, and the following July, I was enrolled in Seattle.

One week in, my professor approaches me and says I need to be in the design program, not the marketing program. I think about it, take her advice, and go with it. Scariest moment of my life, switching from a BA in Science, to a BA in Art. Who the freck gets a job with an art degree anyhow?? Ugh. I bit the bullet, and I am SO happy I did. I am learning so much I can't even believe it.

But anyway, so I moved in with my sister, not too far from Seattle, worked for a couple months, then started school. A couple months in, I moved right smack dab in the city of Seattle, totally immersing myself in the culture. I effing love cities. I always will. I am from a small town, but I will never stop loving cities. Ever. 

I stayed in Seattle for a few months, but then, I decided even THIS wasn't enough (like seriously, can I not just be content with where I am???). As stated in a previous post, I decided to make the jump to a new school in NYC. So for this to happen, I have to quit the school I am at right now for a few quarters (to save moola), so I am once again back with my big sister. 

Phew!

Lots of moving around.

But I am happy. I am happy because I am doing what I want to do, and how I want to do it. I am challenged in so many ways, every single day. I forget sometimes what it took to get here. It may not seem like a lot, but I did everything on my own. Hellooo Adulthood. 

It still all feels like some kind of beginning to me, though. New York is where all the magic happens, and everything before it is just a stepping stone.

There is so much to do in the few months before I go, but trust me when I tell you, it is so much easier when you are happy. I may stress sometimes about school, or cry about leaving, or throw paint brushes across the room because I can't paint a stupid tree for Colour Theory the "right way", but at the end of the day, I can say I am more than content with where I'm at.

I challenge every one of you to take a step in the happiest direction. I think sometimes we lose sight of what it is we really want. We begin to be okay with being mediocre, because if it ain't bad, why fix it? 

I challenge you, today, to think about what it is you want. Do you want money? Do you want relationships? Do you want an education? Do you want a freggen dog? There isn't a wrong answer.

Let me say that again...

There is no wrong answer.

You choose your happiness.

Don't let anyone else choose it for you, or else it won't be yours. Ever.

You will go your whole life chasing others' desires.

Do what you want,

how you want to,

and for whatever reason you want.

Always.

Everything good will fall into place, but only if you make room for it.

Wave ya hands in tha air if ya just don't care

I've had an ongoing obsession with purple hair since my hairstylist (AKA my little big sister, Ali) gave my friend and I in high school a tube of purple hair colour. It didn't turn out as cool as we thought it would because I had red hair and she had dark brown hair at the time. But, being in a small town, we felt pretty badass. A little rebellious, if you will. 

Well... a few years later it took a turn for the worse (or in my opinion, the best)...

Over the years, I've had various forms of purple in my hair. The first picture is my natural hair in all it's glory. I added some ombre, threw it some purple, grew out my ombre, went platinum, added some purple roots, and then one day, BAM... pastel prettiness.

So. In. Love.

For those of you who are wondering, I use Joico's demi-permenant purple hair colour. Joico is a fantastic line, and usually what I use in my hair for any colouring. In the past I didn't mix it with anything, but to achieve this light colour, I had to mix about a teaspoon of colour in with a cup or two of conditioner. 

I am so ecstatic. I have wanted this for about a year. Next week I'll be posting about how it (hopefully) got me a job... just waiting on the results. But I have a really good feeling, keep your fingers crossed for me!

Call a Purple People Eater, a Smurf (even though they're blue), a grape, or whatever you want... I am so in love with my pastel purple hair, and I just don't caaare!

instajammin

Instagram is my dope. I love it. I am obsessed. Addicted, even.

And because I am super lazy and not always wanting to post on the blog, take a gander at my insta! Full of things I love, such as cats, disney movies, shoes, Holiday lights, and hair.

I really think my generation has an amazing talent for social media. Instagram has got to be one of the biggest things to hit the fashion industry. I watched a doctumentary the other day about how now you don't have to wait until the next day after fashion week shows, you can basically follow the garments as they come off the runway. I can sit here and write until my fingers fall off, but what good would it be if you couldn't actually see the clothes as they were meant to be seen? That's is what fashion is: eye candy. I for one, am thankful to have been brought up with the generation of social media engineers.

Follow me @sylviebelle

Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

My lack of posting ends here. Now it's time to play catch-hup via Instagram. I wish I had images from a decent camera, as my phone is a raging POS, but it'll have to do. Bare with me.

From summer to winter...

blazer and shorts: Forever21, shirt: Urban Outfitters

jacket and maxi dress: H&M

hat and tank: Target, flannel: dad's :) pants: Forever 21, shoes: Go Jane

beanie and shirt: Target, pants: Forever21, shoes: Old Navy

That summer outfit was probably my favourite, I wore it a lot. The shorts were actually shear (shhhh), but skin coloured so you couldn't really tell... maybe. I hope not. And one of my absolute favourite purchases ever, an originally $60 shirt from UO that I got for $10. Nothing makes me happier than DEALZ. It's a beautiful billowy white top with cutouts on the side, it was so perfect for my visit to California in June.

That leopard maxi dress will be with me until it dies. Seriously. I am so in love with that thing I could die. My cost-per-wear has probably gone to fractions of pennies by now. Carries lovely into the winter paired with a military jacket (whom is worn just as much so it won't get jealous), and even some leggings for those really cold days. 

That flannel get-up is probably one of my favourites of the fall. That was my dad's shirt that I stole and cut a few inches off. I'm kind down with the tatteredness. I've kinda been into rolling big sleeves up, too. Not usually my thing but I've been seeing it a lot lately, and am super into it. Sometimes it's the little things that go into styling that you forget about!

I was soooo warm in this last outfit! Another $10 shirt purchase from Target from one of their designer collections. I've been really drawn into blue this season, which is an absolute FIRST for me. I think I just really love the contrast of my blonde hair with dark blues. I wore this outfit during the day hanging out and doing errands, and later I switched to some cute flats to go out to dinner.

Also, beanies... obsession. Why have I waited so long to get into those?!

Sometimes, all you need is French food.

 I was having a bit of a bad day, today. School is getting pretty intense these last few weeks and it is definitely weighing me down! I decided to treat myself to the most expensive drink at Starbucks, and a chocolate croissant from my local french bakery. Needless to say, my chocolate and coffee coma put me in a better mood.

The French... they always know just how to make your taste buds happy.

Taking a bite

Recently I've been doing a lot of thinking about school, post-graduation, and my future career. I used to go to a four-year public university, in the middle of nowhere. That got real old, real fast. I toughed it out for two years (and by toughed, I mean I had a really kick-ass time, and wouldn't trade the experiences and friends I gained for anything), as all the inspiration I had was Northface jackets and wheat fields. 

I decided during winter break of my second year that I would transfer to a private art school. Holy balls was that an ordeal. They made it really easy to transfer, but it was a bitter pill to swallow knowing that it was a shite load of money and I would have to work full-time to keep attending school. Also, I had made really great relationships with people by my second year, so leaving them was difficult, as any part of moving always is. 

Out of three locations I had in mind to move to, the one I stuck with was Seattle. 

This city is amazing. I really do love it, and I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am that I made the decision to come here. 

I was scared. It felt like everything I signed was taking a part of my soul through fine-print. "If you don't make the payments, we kick you out forever and your life will end" kind of scary. Just kidding. But that's how I felt. I had never had a job during school, and I had no idea how I was going to manage 5 classes and 40 hours of work each week.

But here's the kicker, folks:

I did it.

I kicked my toosh into gear. I got great grades. I worked a lot. And I was okay. I may have been delirious from lack of sleep, and I may have cried enough for two lifetimes, but it has been worth it. I am learning so much more than I could have ever imagined.

Now you're probably thinking, "oh good, she's found a great school finally, yay!" (just me?) and while this is true, I have been playing around with the idea of moving to another school. Yes I am fully aware that I am the definition of a girl, being as I can't make up my mind. Ever.

The point is... I have made the decision to go to New York City, baby!
I will be applying to FIT and Parsons, some of the top schools in the country. I am reeeeal nervous, but I am really excited to push myself and put together a great portfolio.
Cross your fingers for me! I'm going to need all the luck I can get.

Tips for surviving in NYC would be MUCH appreciated!