brookesnooks:

GIVEAWAY!!!

it’s obviously that time of year when gifts need to be found for [ourselves and] others-

& what better way to start off this Cyber Monday than with a cashmere sweater giveaway from one of my favorite companies, vkoo?!?!

my love affair with this New York-based company started many months ago, after I saw Bethenny Frankel wearing one of their gorgeous cashmere vests.

since then, i’ve spotted many celebrities wearing their threads & naturally, my adoration continues.

which is why, on this Cyber Monday of sorts, i have paired up with Vkoo to give away one of their beautiful Cashmere Handkerchief Turtleneck Sweaters (available in 6 different colors/retailing at $328!).

How to Enter: whether you want to keep this beauty for yourself or gift it to a loved one, you can enter a few different ways (each option counts as an entry!)

1. re-blog this post
2. leave your email address & color of choice in the comments section
3. tweet about it with the hashtag #brookesnooksgiveaway

that’s all you have to do & you’re entered to win!

(Contest ends at noon EST this Friday, November 30th. Winner will be randomly chosen & announced shortly thereafter!) 

Good luck!

10:32 am  •  30 November 2012  •  40 notes

texturism:

a soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to the essential beauty of each other’s individual natures, behind their facades, and who connect on this deeper level. this kind of mutual recognition provides the catalyst for a potent alchemy. it is a sacred alliance whose purpose…

(Source: spycnsweet)

10:13 pm  •  29 October 2012  •  2,594 notes

sepiabeauty:

my favourite piece spotted in cihangir, istanbul.

Gorgeous. I can’t wait to visit next spring. 

(Source: krysosandchandi)

1:59 pm  •  17 September 2012  •  8 notes

emphasisadded:

by Jen Pastiloff

First:

Take everything you’ve ever learned and everything
You’ve yet to discover and place it in a box labeled Thank You.

Second:

Take a picture of your face and remember
That in many years time you will be amazed at how gorgeous you were.
Be amazed now.

Third:

Find someplace to live.
Make sure it has the ability to let light fall
Across the room in such a way that every so often,
You’ll stop and mouth the words “Ah, sunlight.”
Before you finish dusting the books.
Don’t let the books get dusty.
Open them and reread your favorite sentences
Or give the books away.

Fourth:

Fall in love.
Touch. More than you think.
Have a child if you want one.
If you don’t, don’t.
Let your child out into the world
Discovering for themselves just how magical
It is. Or it isn’t.
It’s theirs to decide.
Give your child a lot of books.

Fifth:

Get a job.
Remember this job is not who you are.
You get to open the silk door of You,
And decide, over and over, as many times as your socks,
Just who you are.
You get to say your own I am.

Sixth:

Do yoga.
Let your body discover what it’s like to move
without your brain holding it’s hand.
Tell your brain to take a hike.
Let your body believe fully in it’s own powers.
Let every person you’ve stored inside your muscles out every so often,
to breathe.

Lastly:

Do things that make you feel good.
Let your joy be contagious and spread through
Your home, your job, your children.
Let it spread through the world
Like a virus so that when you forget it,
Every so often, you’ll catch it from someone else.

[via: onherway]

11:32 pm  •  13 September 2012  •  679 notes

tallgirltales:

Ooh. I like this.

Gorgeous dress. 

4:26 pm  •  5 September 2012  •  88 notes

laurenelizabits:

trappedintime:

7. Bloomington, IN

“Bloomington, IN, is ground zero for Hoosier fans. Home of Indiana University, the city reaps the benefits of having a large, prestigious college. Those benefits include some of the best men’s basketball games in the country, theater programs, research facilities and, of course, places to party.

Bloomington offers many activities to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Three lakes provide chances to fish, canoe and water ski, and there are more than 200 miles of hiking and biking trails. Nearby Hoosier National Forest features 202,000 acres of protected land. There are four golf courses in Bloomington for those who prefer to wonder the cart paths.

Bloomington contains a bumper crop of entertainment options both on and off campus. On campus is the University Auditorium for music and theater performances, the Art Museum, and the always provocative gallery at the Kinsey Institute. There are more than 40 pubs, breweries, taverns and bars in Bloomington. Many of these establishments offer live music. Among the most popular water holes is Upland Brewing Company. A popular spot on cold winter days is Darn Good Soup.”

Oh a rush of memories coming back today. I’m so far away and Bloomington is one of the most beautiful places in the country this time of year. I mean just the trees and women alone. I’m not complaining about California living, but I don’t know anyone who lived in Bloomington who doesn’t think it’s one of the greatest little cities in the world.

True story. When I have all the money in the world (meaning jobs are not at all an issue), I’ll move back to Bloomington and buy a vintage farmhouse or one of those limestone mansions on 1st and Jordan.

I love this place so much. My dream is to get a Ph.D., teach at the future IU School of Global and International Studies, and buy a mansion on 1st and Ballantine. There’s currently a gorgeous home for sale just steps away from campus and I keep thinking to myself how lovely it would be to become a professor and retire in that home. I have a feeling that is exactly what will happen. 

12:21 pm  •  29 August 2012  •  7 notes

I start 10 credit hours of class tomorrow…and still have one final paper for a current class due September 15th. I’m commuting to Indy one night a week for class and attending another class every Tuesday night from 7-9:40pm. I’m also learning Turkish 5 days a week. And did I mention that I’m doing all of this while working full time? 

I’m giving myself a pep talk right now. LET’S DO THIS THING! 

Commence Girl Talk on Spotify for the rest of the night to finish my final exam and read 60 pages worth of law cases tonight. Oh, and a bottle of wine. Duh. 

8:43 pm  •  19 August 2012  •  4 notes

I belong with you, you belong with me

You’re my sweetheart. 

(Source: Spotify)

7:53 pm  •  16 August 2012

My tunes this evening. Can you tell I’ve been moody this week? I absolutely want to throw my husband out the window today. (Sorry, Erol.)

I am working on my final exam, final paper and I start two more classes on Monday. I’m not quite sure what I was thinking with this whole working full-time and doing my master’s at the same time. But, it’s better than dragging it out for 5 years and I won’t have more student loan debt this way. 

Wine is the ONLY thing keeping me sane right now. Drink wine, write final…and hope it all makes sense when I edit it tomorrow?  

(Source: Spotify)

8:55 pm  •  14 August 2012

I know that you’re smiling, baby, 
I don’t even need to see your face 
Sunset at the shoreline, we are laughing, breaking up, 
Just like the waves 
Are you feeling, feeling, feeling like I’m, feeling 
Like I’m floating, floating, up above that big blue ocean 
Sand beneath our feet, big blue sky above our heads, 
No need to keep stressing from our everyday life on our minds 
We have got to leave all that behind 

It is no secret that I love the fall season, but I’m not quite ready for summer to end. I would love to listen to this song at the lake just a few more times before scarves, boots and pumpkin lattes come out. 

(Source: Spotify)

10:23 pm  •  13 August 2012  •  4 notes