master my own talents.

There is no such thing as mastering your talents in painting. I will always be learning, improving, admiring, experimenting, redoing, throwing away, giving myself a pat on the back. The work just continues. And through this process of growth, you'll come across other artists that you can't help but ooo & ahh and think to yourself, my gosh, how did they do it? I follow a neo-traditionalist girl on intsagram named katie armour. Known for her blog, the neo-traditionalist and is the co-founder of online magazine matchbook , she is spunky, adorable with a pixie cut and has looks that could kill and her best friend is her pug, Alfred. Anyway, Katie posted this photo on her instagram of these Kate Moss paintings that she bought and finally framed. And for the life of me, i can't stop studying it. It is perfection, it has such a feminine and delicate feel to it. The technique and strokes of the paintbrush are what I wish to possess. Time and practice is what it takes, but if I were able to produce a portrait as beautiful as this, I would be the happiest girl on the earth. I have no idea who the artist is or where this print was purchased but I look up to it, and I admire it dearly, and hope that some day, shooting for the summer, I can live up to this sort of talent. It is truly wonderful.

One more thing before I go, I came across Katie Armour's manifesto on her blog and it's nothing short of perfection. Everything written in it I can agree and relate to. Sometimes people are so good with words, I too wish I had that talent. I think I love her manifesto so much because in some ways or another, thought she didn't write it about me, it's a reflection of me without anyone knowing it. It's so perfectly written I'd love to print one out and frame it by my desk. Anyways, dig in...

we believe in being glass-half full sort of girls.

we believe that often times, granny is chic.

we believe in pedaling vintage schwinns with flower baskets.

we believe in poetry, picnics, and piñatas.

we believe one is never too old to keep a diary, the secrets only grow more scandalous.

we believe in arranging fresh flowers unruly like an english garden.

we believe in adventure and traveling the globe, be it to marrakech or malibu.

we believe in mixing lucite with oriental rugs. thrift store finds with heirlooms.

we believe in handwritten thank you notes, better late than never. 

we believe in needlepoint, letterpress, decoupage, and forgiving martha stewart.

we believe in piggy banks and cookie jars. 

we believe in book clubs full of fitzgerald, hemingway, austen and woolf.

we believe station wagons are hopelessly chic. 

we believe in recycling our grandmothers' names. eloise, jackie, faye...

we believe in collecting: stamps, shells, books, big glittering diamonds...

we believe in marrying the boy that writes us the best love letters. 

we believe in highly competitive board games- chess, scrabble, chutes & ladders.

we believe in spontaneous road trips and charming, chintzy bed & breakfasts.

we believe there's something to fortune cookies, wishbones, and 4 leaf clovers. 

we believe in classics, shaken, and stirred...