Hello Boudreau

Graduation weekend was a blast in a glass. Literally. All I can think about is how blessed & fortunate I am to have such great family & friends...

I'm even smiling as I type.

I got tears in my eyes at the graduation ceremony because it was hard to leave behind a town I've spent the last 4.5 years of my life living in. BUT those tears were quickly dried by the thought of never having to take another exam or study for finals or stay up all night doing homework :)

I'm packing my things for a mile marker weekend. I'm graduating from The University of Florida tomorrow. It's been a crazy ride for me. I've always been the type to fly by the seat of my pants. Moving to Gainesville was literally a last minute decision for me but I'm so grateful that I did.

Over the past 5 years I've had so many doors opened, traveled to many amazing places, learned so much about myself it's scary, met all kinds of people and learned to spot out the genuine and the phony.

I vividly remember when I was little, sitting in between my parents in the car, blaring this song, and only knowing the "lalalalalalalalala" part. 
Now this song is this weekend summed up in 3 minutes & 22 seconds for me:

This lipstick (luminous satin lip colour) is hands down the best. I even wore it 3 days in row just to be sure. I'll tell you why: This is the ONLY lipstick I've ever worn that doesn't make my lips peel! & It stays on ALL day. It's the perfect shade of red and looks good on every skin tone!

Chanel Lip Definer #37 Framboise [purchase here]. 

This lip liner went with the lipstick like peas & carrots.

Jar Tiles [purchase here] image via Bisous Chic

These tiles are "off the wall" amazing. Keep your accessories out of the way and organized. You can get totally creative with how you line these up too. You could screw them into the wall, the side of your desk, the inside of a cabinet...you name it.
Peter Pan Collars [purchase here] or [here] or attempt the [DIY version here]

These collars are everywhere & I love it. All sizes, all colors, on dresses, long sleeves, short sleeves. gimme.gimme.gimme.

Song of the Day: 
RIP; what an amazing cover of this timeless song

Other Morning Musings:

-I would have given a limb to go to the Martha Stewart holiday craft sale [pictures here]

-Rachel McAdams looking perfect in Kate Spade 2 days ago

-Loving this gift guide for the creative
-Planning a wedding? These wedding websites are so romantic
-Loving Mr. Kate's sunglasses from House of Harlow
-Check out these prints by Monorail Studio [$12]

P.S.
I decided on the book "The Glass Castle," I bought it last night and I'm already half way through...if that tells you anything.
 Ok fine, I'll read you the first sentence:
"I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster."

Genuinely,

Gray is or has been the new white of home decorating. TAKE NOTE! It seems like a cold, empty color at first but pairing gray with a warm or bright color can work wonders. Think of gray as soft super neutral just waiting for you to spice it up. I mean just check out these African Gray Parrots?

via Martha Stewart

Seeeeeee? Sometimes all we have to do it look around at nature to get some of our best decor color schemes & palettes.

images via house beautiful | Apartment Therapy | Pinterest | Martha Stewart

Would you use gray in your home in place of white?
If so I would highly suggest these two shades from Benjamin Moore.
You can buy them online at West Elm and see what they look like applied in various rooms. Nifty.


*NEWS ALERT*
So happy to be featured on one of my favorite blogs, Better After!
Check. out. my. famous. elephants! [Click here to see the feature]

Happy Wednesday! Half way to the weekend & my graduation festivities!
Genuinely,

I loooovveee reading. I especially love reading during the Winter months. There's something about snuggling up with a good book in the cold weather with a strong cup of coffee, fuzzy socks and big blankets. This probably explains why I'm obsessed with bookends. I can get totally carried away in a book if it's good enough. Like disappear for days, good.

images via lonny & pinterest & iliketowritethings

The last book I finished was The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Click here to buy!
 I loved every bit of it. I laughed, I cried, I even hugged it.

Here's one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

Finding the perfect book however is sometimes a challenge. That's why I asked my friends, family, and new blogger friends for ideas for my winter reads this year! This is what I have to choose from...

It's mid-December & it's holiday party time! I have my first holiday party tonight and it's at a fancy hotel on the water. I've been debating what to wear for a while now and finally decided on wide legged pants! Don't get me wrong, I love me some skinny jeans but wide legged pants look so versatile and classy. I've been noticing a reoccurring theme on my style boards lately, & figured it's time to wear 'em. Here's some photos of wide legged pants that I've bookmarked over the past few months:

I'm a little behind on my posts! It's been a whirlwind these past couple of days. I've been taking my last few finals & Wrapping up my time here in Gainesville. I can proudly say i'm officially done with my college years!
 No more exams, papers, teachers or projects!
Time to unwind and breathe. This place looks perfect. I'll take it:
That is until my job interview tomorrow. The world never stops turning!
I've been slowly boxing up my apartment in between anxiety attacks about joining the adult world of full time careers, and no more spring breaks. *sigh*
All of these boxes reminded me of all the Christmas presents I have to wrap!
I'm definitely going to be making these bows I found at How About Orange instead of buying them because Lord knows I have about a million magazines and maps around here!
I also really like the idea of putting huge letters on gifts this year. Put the person's first initial on their packages to make it fun and personal:

Genuinely,