April 15, 2013 by Emma
I stumbled across the loveliest sidewalk art the other day
Unfortunately, my last two weeks in London are being spent writing research papers and studying for exams. Honestly, I’m more annoyed than stressed, which is quite a change from my usual attitude during exams! I’ve been trying to make the most of each day though, and squeeze in a bit of fun between the work.
I went to the V&A earlier this week, just to wander around and say goodbye. I love that museum so much- I feel like I could live there. It makes me want to be like those children from that run away from home and hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While I don’t suppose I could pull that sort of rule-breaking off these days, it was quite the inspiration to me growing up!
On Sunday it finally felt like Spring, so I decided to soak up as much sun as possible. I finally went to the Columbia Road flower market, which I had been meaning to do for ages. It seems like most of London had the same idea, though, as it was absolutely packed. I didn’t manage to get any decent pictures, but I had a lovely time. The flowers themselves were gorgeous and the salespeople hawking their bouquets seemed straight out of the 1920s with their fast-talking quips.
I also managed to check off another place on my to-visit list: Liberty London. I’ve always liked the Liberty floral prints, but I figured that the store would just be another department store. I was wrong– everything for sale was absolutely gorgeous and I wanted to buy just about everything in their sewing and haberdashery department. And don’t get me started on the furniture and decor. I even concocted a whole story about me being an interior designer and working on a house right now so that they wouldn’t get mad at me for taking photos!
Typewriters with plants growing out of them? Yes please!
Category London, Week in Pictures | Tags: | 9 Comments
April 9, 2013 by Emma
I can’t believe all the traveling I’ve been doing lately! Sometimes it’s hard to believe that this has been my life for the past year. I’m headed back home in a week and a half and I’m torn– on the one hand, I can’t wait to see my family again, but I’m really going to miss Europe. My life is going to become far more boring, though!
I went back to Amsterdam for the weekend and had the most wonderful time. It felt like I had never left. I really enjoyed showing my friend around, it definitely made me feel like a local. On Friday we wandered the city, popping in and out of boutiques and cafes. In the evening, we saw Wild Belle at Paradiso. They’re this really fun band from Chicago– I’m kind of obsessed with the girls voice.
On Saturday, we headed outside of the city to visit Keukenhof, the tulip gardens. Unfortunately, not all of the fields were in bloom as this spring has been so cold, but I still had a lovely time looking at all the different types of tulips that were in the greenhouses. It was sunny out, so we spent ages wandering through the park and even made some friends at the petting zoo ;)
It’s funny how different both Amsterdam and London are, but I love them each so much. London is so much more fast paced and busy, while the vibe in Amsterdam is so much more relaxed. But I wouldn’t trade my time in either place for anything.
Category Amsterdam, Travel, Week in Pictures | Tags: | 11 Comments
March 24, 2013 by Emma
I turned 21 earlier this week! Ahh, I feel so old! It’s hard to believe I’m officially an adult, I certainly don’t feel like it. I had the most lovely day– after waking up nice and late, I opened the package I had gotten from my family. My mom had scoured the vintage stores in Hawaii and sent me a bunch of earrings– she knows me so well! That afternoon, my friends treated me to tea at the Laduree at Harrods. We were the ridiculous group of girls artfully arranging our desserts to get pictures! And in the evening, I went to see The Phantom of the Opera with a friend from school. It was ridiculously cheesy, but so much fun. I haven’t seen the movie in ages and had forgotten how bizarre the story is. My 13 year old self somehow thought that the Phantom was the ideal man. While I now realize how creepy he actually is, I feel like this explains so much about my taste in guys…
On Saturday, I went on a little daytrip to Wales with a couple of friends. We had planned this ages ago, thinking that Wales would be lovely in the springtime. Unfortunately, we woke up to a layer of snow covering the ground and gusting wind! Nevertheless, we had a lovely time. The highlight of the trip was definitely visiting the ruins of Tintern Abbey. They were just so magical. I couldn’t help but come up with an idea for a photoshoot, it would make such a gorgeous background for something very 1800s via 1930s mysticism. Too many ideas and not enough time!
Category London, Travel, Week in Pictures | Tags: | 11 Comments
March 17, 2013 by Emma
I could not have had a more amazing time in Paris. It really is the most magical city– I don’t think I could ever tire of visiting. This past weekend the sun was shining and there were hardly any tourists about! Judging by how sore my legs are, my friend Ryan and I probably walked the whole of Paris. I don’t know how those French girls manage in their heels on those cobblestones! Our weekend mostly consisted of wandering about and poking around different shops, cafes, and museums. So, basically the ideal trip :)
I’ve got much more to say about Paris as soon as I catch up on my homework (and go through the millions of photos I took)!
Earlier this week, I walked in a fashion show for NARS makeup. It was in this stately building near Hyde Park– much fancier than I expected. So I was feeling a bit nervous on my way in! It was so much fun, though. It’s always tough being the new-girl, as all the other models knew each other, but I needn’t have worried as all the girls I met were absolutely lovely! I got all dolled up with a smokey eye and a super tight ponytail. Apparently my hair is rather unruly– I was being chased around with hairspray cans and bobby pins all morning! I really liked my outfit too– I was wearing a dress and jacket from Sameulla Pallmer. It had a really fun “college prep” look. I wanted to keep that jacket so badly! There were four different collections being shown and I loved the others as well.
I love runway. The energy backstage is amazing and you just feel so powerful when you’re on the catwalk. I didn’t realize until I turned around that there was a massive projection of my face on the screen behind me as I walked. I actually think I’m glad I didn’t know! After the show was over, I got a goodie bag full on Nars makeup. I’m having fun with all my new products and wearing blush for the first time! I just hope I don’t get used to the expensive stuff, because I’m going back to my drugstore makeup when it’s used up!
Hope you all had a lovely week! Did you get up to anything fun?
Category Modeling, Travel, Week in Pictures | Tags: | 10 Comments
March 10, 2013 by Emma
What a week! Very busy, but what’s new? I just got back from spending a day in Brighton. I fell in love with that city and am already planning when to squeeze another trip into my schedule. After a bit of wandering along the beach, my friends and I headed up towards the heart of the city. We took a tour through the Royal Pavillion, which was absolutely insane. Think orientalism times a million with a generous splash of tacky. There were sculptures of dragons holding up massive chandeliers and banquet halls where dinners with over 100 courses were served. Obviously, I loved it! I wish they would have let you take pictures inside, but alas, you’ll have to go there yourself to see it! We grabbed a quick lunch and headed off to do some shopping in the Lanes. We stumbled upon an antique market called Snoopers Paradise and I just about went to heaven. I could spend hours looking through antiques. And the store had a photobooth! I can never resist a good photobooth so, like the good blogger cliche that I am, had to take a couple quick snaps. Unfortunately, we weren’t very good at squeezing us all in the frame, so you only get me and my friend Ryan!
I’ve been doing a lot of drawing in museums for one of my art classes. This week we were studying the Rococo period, so I drew from a Fragonard in the National Gallery. I love drawing in public, even though I get so self-conscious about my work. Last week, when I was drawing from an Italian Renaissance painting, a super cute guy sat down next to me and pulled out his own drawing supplies. Five minutes later, I look over and the guy next to me had created the most stunning replica of the painting in front of us. I swear, he was Michelangelo reincarnated. So, I just left. What else was I to do?
Earlier this week, I did a ballet inspired shoot with a final year student from the University of East London. It was so fun! I really loved the concept and Jess, the photographer, was great to work with. We did some film shots too– can’t wait to see how they turned out. We worked with a really talented (and sweet!) makeup artist named Lorna! I was so pleased with the makeup she came up with that I left it on for the rest of the day. A bit much for my evening study group?
Now I just have to get busy with all my coursework :O
Category London, Week in Pictures | Tags: | 15 Comments
