Monday

MONDAY...

Such a good video...


For those of you, like me, who want to get every last drop out of that expensive face cream or makeup, welcome the new beauty spatula... genius invention, right?

Thinking these pumpkin spice cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting are the perfect tasty treat to welcome fall...delicious!

I also can't wait to try out this spiced-apple cider recipe!

This is a great article & quick read on 10 Habits of Charismatic People.


Wishing I had invented the cake divider, because who doesn't love a tool to equally divide your cake into 6, 8, 10, or 14 equal pieces? 

I'm in love with this Tess Giberson quilted scarf for those brutal winter days, definitely adding  this to my wish list!

And finally, I came across this cute photo on the new-to-me Little Bits and Blogs, I mean I love picture!
Hope ya'll are having a wonderful start to the week!

HELLO, SEPTEMBER...FINALLY.

Hi there and a very HAPPY MONDAY TO YA'LL! It obviously isn't the 1st of the month anymore, but better late than never, right?  I was M.I.A. the past two weeks on the blog, and to be completely honest with you, I just needed a quick (but seriously big time) BREAK from social media/emails/internet and decided to disconnect briefly.  Have ya'll ever felt like that? Every so often I have a moment where I struggle with how much is too much when it comes to putting it all out there and sharing your life online, not to mention always being connected...there certainly comes a time when I just need to take a step back, breathe, and regroup.  Of course someone out there has felt the same way, surely, right? Not to worry though, I'm back in action and feeling more than inspired after the mini break.  

On that note, how has ya'lls September been so far? What did I miss? September is one of those months I personally have a love/hate relationship with.  While there is the obvious ending of summer (hate, and on a side note, this is the last "official" week of summer), this month also means the beginning of college football season (love!, hook em' horns!), cooler weather (love love!), fall fashion!, leaves changing color (if you live outside of Texas) and that's just to name a few.  It's safe to say that after this past weekend here in New York, fall is officially here!

The past two weeks I've had a chance to complete a few things that have been on the dreaded to-do list for-ever...and had such a wonderful few days with my mom in town this past weekend.  Just  a few of my favorite Instagram pictures from the past two weeks, and for those of ya'll who don't yet follow me on Instagram, follow me at haleycarpenter or online here. Make sure to check back later this week for a few fabulous fall inspired posts I've been working on!

INSPIRING ME FOR MONDAY.


Hope ya'll had a good weekend and your Monday has been fabulous!   What's inspiring me this week? Well, in my ideal world, I like to imagine an apartment that is perfectly organized and uncluttered, like the pictures shown below.  
via Vanity/Hallway/Closet/Bookshelf/Desk
I'm sure many of ya'll have heard apartments in NYC are tiny, and really to be honest, tiny doesn't quite cut it to accurately draw a picture of just how small some of these apartments really are.  Living in a smaller space (not to mention foolishly moving everything from my much larger apartment in Austin to NYC) has forced me to condense all of my "things", clean out the clutter, and get rid of basically all of the "I just can't live without" them items (because it has become crystal clear that I can in fact live without those things), and really stick to just the essentials.  I am loving the color coordinated bookshelf in the image above and hope to take this idea and do it in my own personal space.  Do ya'll have color coordinated bookshelves?  I had never really thought to do that before now, but think it definitely looks less chaotic and more organized.  I would also love to splurge on a bar cart and have my eye on the Hayworth by Society Social available for pre-order now. If you haven't already, you should definitely take a look at the other amazing bar carts by Society Social, they are timeless, incredibly chic, and I'm in awe of the detail in all of Society Social's bar cart designs.
via Society Social

BRAND. NEW. WEEK.

Oh hey there, Monday! I know we all dread Monday mornings, but I figured today instead of focusing on the typical Monday blues, why not change it up a little, and think about what positive things Monday also represents. Hello, isn't it the start of a brand new week? A chance to start fresh again and an exciting opportunity to see what the week brings? I love the idea of a clean slate and fresh start, and truly believe that if I wake up on Monday morning and instead of dreading the start of the week, try to think of the positive things a new week means, then it will change my entire attitude for the rest of the week. 

If ya'll follow me on twitter you might have seen me mention this article, but in case you missed it, this article from the Huffington Post is worth taking a few minutes of your afternoon and reading..the writer, Claire Bidwell Smith, reminds us all that in this day and age of social media, twitter, Instagram, always letting the world know what we are up to, it may appear that we have such fabulous lives without a care in the world, but the reality is, those day-to-day photos of life when it's not perfect, when things don't go as planned, when your world feels like it is crashing down on you, those things do happen to all of us, and just because they are not shown in social media outlets, doesn't mean they don't exist.

Finally, a little inspiration to remember this week, and something I'm hoping to remember anytime I need to make a decision...
via

MONDAY INSPIRATION...

via Striped WallsPrintWalletCameraScript 
A few things I'm loving and feeling inspired by on this Monday afternoon.  I am in love with both the black and white striped and polka dot walls, and have just recently started the process of painting the walls in my apartment.  Wouldn't you be happy walking into a room with polka dots on it? Love that idea! Also love the lettering in the quote above, isn't it amazing? Hope ya'll are having a good start to the week. What's inspiring ya'll this Monday?  And I'm curious what color are the walls in your place currently? If you're able to paint them, what color did you decide on?  Would love to hear your thoughts!

MONDAY LINK LOVE...

Happy Monday ya'll! I have been a bit MIA this past week but hope ya'll had a fabulous weekend! I had a few favorites I came across online this past week that I wanted to share with ya'll since I didn't get a link love post up on Friday:
  • How about the Closing Ceremonies last night... AH-MAZING, right? I seriously felt like I took a step back in time to 1996 with the Spice Girls (fantastic performance!) and Oasis's Wonderwall.. oh and Fatboy Slim, which always reminds me of this scene from the classic movie She's All That, time to learn that dance! 
  • Also came across this cute & affordable canvas bag from J. Crew recently & think it's the perfect travel bag, to the beach, gym or really anywhere you're headed.
  • This bills organizer is the perfect thing to keep you on track & time for your monthly bills.
  • If you have any trouble at all relaxing & falling asleep, this miracle product, 18 Sleep Essential Oil Rollerball by 21 Drops, is the answer to your prayers..it's that good!
Two great video clips for your Monday afternoon:
I came across this video over on one of my favorite blogs, Hither and Thither, and it's hilarious, enjoy a quick laugh on this Monday afternoon...
Another great video from last week, Jenna Bush Hager gets a quick lesson from McKayla Maroney who teaches her how to Dougie while on a tour bus in London. You can check it out below or here.

MONDAY MUSINGS...

Umbrella/ Brilliant Ideas/ Vogue/ Fashion Sketch/ DVF FlatsJ.Crew Black & White Clutch/ Sorry, Out to LiveWelcome to Today/ Ray-Ban Image/ Queso
Happy Monday and welcome to the start of a brand new week! Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend. Decided to start the week off with a mood board of what I like to call my uniform- or very favorite go to color combination, black & white, and of course the occasional pop of color,typically pink or red.  Absolutely love the crisp and clean feel of black and white at home too.  If only my kitchen happened to be half the size of the one pictured above and then half as neat and clutter-free, keep dreaming on that one! 

I also love the hand lettering work of the incredible Matthew Tapia, as shown in the Sorry, Out to Live print above.  I absolutely love his work and amazing intricate lettering design. Check out his tumblr to get a glimpse of Matthew's current work.  

Hope today was fabulous and a great start to the week! 

MONDAY MUSINGS....

Monday is more than halfway over and I am playing catch up today after a long weekend in Austin for a good friend's wedding.  Lots to do after a wonderful wedding weekend, but in the meantime, a belated bits of truth post from last week since I was not on the ball on Thursday and didn't get this posted before heading to Austin for the weekend.  Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend and having a good start to the week! 
I can't get enough of the Call Me Maybe parodies, they are everywhere these days.  This video of Rebecca Minkoff, Hilary Rhoda, and Leandra Medine (The Man Repeller) getting ready for the CFDA Awards is fabulous, by any chance, Rebecca, are you hiring? I'd like to sign up as your new best friend and assistant, think we would be great friends instantly! Seriously though, don't they all look like so much fun?

 And finally, READ: a remarkable graduation speech given by author Anne Lamott.  Another reminder to take a moment to pause and enjoy your life in the present moment.  

MONDAY, MONDAY

Happy Monday ya'll! Hope your weekend was fabulous.  Two articles for inspiration and food for thought to start the week off on the right foot... check back later for a great roundup I hope to get up later today or in the morning! Oh and if it's anything like here in New York, it is HOT, HOT, HOT... we're talking mid-80's up and down the entire EAST COAST... seriously beginning to wonder if I brought the heat with me to New York this year, what happened to the cool weather? I'd love to be in that picture below cooling off in sparkling water... a girl can dream.... for now the picture will have to do!


Also, a great post over on the blog Elements of Style and especially relevant for anyone on the job search..

And an article worth reading from Forbes with Spanx creator, Sara Blakely's top startup tips.

And a great reminder on forgiveness....