hmm~

 Oh to be disgustingly well traveled
and educated

xoxo, ladybug

autumn means layering, coffee, and a good book

Since we are coming into the season of change, warm drinks, and pumpkin spice, I thought I would share what I have been loving recently this month.

In terms of artsy fartsy stuff, I have finally decided that this is the year that I get a tattoo. Particularly one that I have been wanting for a while but I was putting it off because it wasn't the right time. However now is the moment, I've decided that when I go back home for Christmas I'm going to get a dragonfly tattoo. For many like myself, the dragonfly symbolises transformation and change since they go from nymphs in the water to spreading their wings and taking flight. This is how I currently feel the direction in which my life is going. I'm growing into this new chapter and adapting to the life awaiting for me so that I can surpass any challenges thrown at me. 

It has come to my attention that if I had the closet I wanted, I would be posting daily outfit checks. So since layering is my favourite thing to do with my outfits, and we are entering into autumn, here are some outfits and pieces that I would love to wear and/or find in the goodwill: 

I love everything about this outfit, personally. But in particular the top is something that I absolutely NEED in my closet. This is the perfect outfit for the fall season in my opinion. I love a good long-sleeve button up top. The pale beige with the white and the cut on the top half, I don't really know why but it just works so well. Along with the classic brown belt, and it's thick too so you know it's going to hold up your extra baggy pants. Can you tell I want this whole outfit... 

Everybody knows I love a flowy top, they are just cute pretty and I feel gorgeous in them. I really want a basic white top like this one, mainly because I love the detailing and the fit of the bust. A good white top  can go with anything and I think that this is one of those tops because it can be super cute on it's own and it can be used in layering.

Now onto the topic of what I consume on the daily... which is a lot.

Three words for you, Apple Cinnamon Scones. They are my heaven on earth and I have been sent there every morning by my favourite coffee shop near work. I already eat an ungodly amount of dehydrated apple slice crisps on the daily so having that paired with cinnamon in a scone form is my idea of a perfect morning treat. So perfect that I am currently eating one as I type this during my work lunch break. I don't know what it is about the cinnamon flavour that I love so much but it really draws me in every morning, I highly recommend seeking out a cafe or bakery that sells them or find a recipe online and whip it up yourself. I am definitely going to try to make my own version of them.

Per my last post I mentioned the Cafe Arancia drink that I get at my local coffee shop. I don't get it every morning when I go into work, but just about, at least until I figure out how to make it myself at home. Now I have always loved the combination of chocolate and orange but coffee and orange is a new level. In my brain I almost feel that they shouldn't work this well together since one is dark and bitter while the other is bright and acidic. The rich bitterness flavour of the espresso is balanced out by the natural sweet tanginess of the orange peel. I hope you all can try this, ask your local cafe to see if they can make it, you won't regret it.

Now this is still something I consume but it's also a small art I have started doing in the morning, andddd you guessed it, it's yogurt bowls!!

Now this here isn't one of mine because I'm to hungry in the morning to take a photo before I dig in but, nevertheless, this is what I have been making most mornings at home before heading off to work. I love using chia seeds with greek yogurt and a little bit of honey for that sweet kick before letting it sit overnight to get a pudding texture. I personally love to pair my yogurt with tones of fruit, specifically blueberries, and pumpkin flax seed granola. However, I'm looking into making my own granola so it has less refined sugar in it. But for now my pumpkin flax seed does the trick just perfectly. 

Ok that's enough about food, let talk about how I absolutely NEED to find myself a new autumn book to read. I'm currently reading Pachinko which is about a poor Korean family that moved to Japan. It's currently in it's stage setting part where I'm learning the backstory for the main characters so I know it will ramp up soon but knowing me, I need another new book to add to the pile. I would like to find something that touches on feminism since I recently read the book Butter and I adored it. I loved the themes that it talked about and the way the characters were so full of life and faults. If anyone has some book recs, send them my way!!

xoxo, ldaybug

art is messy, but so is life

 

If you know me personally, then you know that I was brought up to be very organised and one of my favourite things to do is make lists, which, I know, sounds weird. I promise I'm normal, I just like most things to be clean, organised, and to have a schedule if needed. 

Now, my new job is anything but that. Which, I am learning to handle. Kind of.

I didn't realise how social I am as a person until this year when I let go of the fear I had in high school. Granted, moving half way across the world to where I know literally no one helped in being more confident since I didn't care about how people viewed me over here. However, moving here and starting in an office job helped me to understand that I need to be in an environment where I am talking and interacting with people throughout the day. I love chatting with customers and establishing new bonds with regulars and the artists that come through. 

The shop itself is both a general fun gifts shop on one side and an art gallery on the other side. If your on the outside looking in it won't look big at all, in fact it will look quite small, but once you step inside the shops has to halves and stretches back father than you initially thought. It has everything from clothing to soaps and hot sauce which I love because every customer brings up something I haven't seen yet in the store. Everything is mostly from local artists and creators. My current favourite item in the store are the handmade soaps by a mother-daughter duo on an island near here.

Standing for six hours however is not something that I am particularly fond of at this new job though. It can be rough on the fourth hour in, the balls of my feet start hurting and my heels have already been sore for the last hour. Going from sitting at a desk all day to standing all day was a rough 180. But I'm slowly getting back into it and the running around re-stocking items and yapping with people keeps me distracted and moving. 

I get a 40% employee discount which is very dangerous considering I want to buy half the freaking store, but I'm restraining myself not to empty my pay check right back into where I work. Nevertheless, I have started buying every single cute sticker that I find throughout the store which I then go home and cover my laptop in. So much for saving money...

I'm trying guys, I promise.

Of course I'm not succeeding since I now work down the road from my favourite coffee shop/cafe right now which means getting a coffee every morning that I am going into work since I have to pass by so might as well go in right, right. Currently my morning drink is a caffe arancia which is espresso, orange peel, vanilla, and at my request 2% milk. Now at first I thought that orange peel and espresso weren't going to mix as well as I was told but surprisingly it tasted like heaven so now, hot or iced it is my new go to in the morning before the long work day. 

I've started to build a new daily routine along with getting into a new groove of how to go about life. I know it will take a few more days of work to get fully adjusted to the new job and the little challenges that come along with it but so far I'm loving it. I mean, art and coffee, what could be a better combination!

xoxo, ladybug

so I moved, again

 I moved house, again, for the second time, in three months. 

To recap, in the last, almost four months, I have moved half way across the world, got a new job working in an office, moved in temporarily with my grandmother, realised office work wasn't for me, got a new job at an art shop, and moved house yet again. 
So yeah, it's been a lot.

Let me tell you, packing up my life the first time to move across the freaking seven seas was a lot to process, but doing it a second time, even if it's only moving house, was still a little hard. I liked living with my grandmother, but I knew I couldn't stay there forever. Now, I am very graciously occupying one of the spare bedrooms in my aunts house since she said she would rather have me stay with her than on the streets. My aunt is leaving to go on a few trips for a while and when I say a while I mean the whole month basically, so I technically have a great big house to myself for September. 

Now, moving isn't to scary for me, but it's still a significant enough change that it difficult for the first few days. I know that I will get used to my new home but for now I'm finding comfort in the fact that this move will bring new opportunities for me and new places to explore. Hopefully I find some fun places to frequent around here, specifically a new coffee shop that I can adopt into my daily life. My next update will be on how I'm finding my new job at the art store!

xoxo, ladybug