LCY Listens: New Mumford!(?)

I've said it once before, and I'll say it again. Mumford and Sons are my Beatles. I love their music more than any other artist ever (including Dave) and I love it all. Not one song I don't like. Plus they seem like the coolest dudes ever. Vests and all. My only complaint is that they don't do enough love songs. White Blank Page is a top three for me (along w/ Below My Feet and Where Are You Now?).

So to my delight, I was on youtube and saw this song - "Hold On To What You Believe" - in the recommended videos. I don't know where this song came from or why, but I'm glad it exists. It's not on either of Mumford's albums... apparently it's from an EP(?) - Love Your Ground. (Clearly I'm well versed in the music industry lingo.)

Doesn't matter. It's amazing. And it's a love song w/ great lyrics. At least, from what I was picking up they were great. I couldn't find the official lyrics anywhere so I took it upon myself to transcribe them.
You're welcome!

CORRECTION: I just saw this video was posted in 2010. So new, it is not. But it's new to me!

i cant promise you that i wont let you down
and i cant promise you that i will be the only one around
when your hope falls down

but we're young
holding flowers in the windy field of this war-torn world
and love
this city breeds the plague of loving things more than the creators

i ran away
i could not take the burden of both me and you
it was too fast
casting love on me as if it were a spell i could not break
when it was a promise i could not make 

what if i was wrong
what if i was wrong
what if i was wrong

but hold on to what you believe
in the night when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight
and oh hold on to what you believe
in the night when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight

and now this land means less and less to me without you breathing through its trees
at every turn the water runs away from me
and the halo disappears
i'm not whole when you're not near

so what if i was wrong
what if i was wrong
oh, what if i was wrong

but hold on to what you believe
in the night when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight
and oh hold on to what you believe
in the night when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight

so hold on to what you believe in the night

Ladyplace: The New Coffee Table

so here's where we left off...

painted the walls white, got a new striped rug, added a gallery wall above the sofa.
love love love it, right?

well, if you recall from this pic of fiona getting eaten by the couch, it was a wee bit crowded.

this reclaimed wood coffee table from jayson home is my absolute favorite in the whole wide world. i got it for a steal at their warehouse sale, and i am NOT selling it, not ever, no way. but i need something smaller while i reside in this pocket-sized apartment. not wanting to spend a lot of money, i bravely dove headfirst into the dark abyss that is craigslist.

and after a couple of searches using the keywords "brass" "glass" "small" "coffee table" and "lucite," i found this funky lil guy!

which i immediately recognized as being similar to this lovely from lonny magazine (which i just so happened to include in my striped rug post)!

$100?! i emailed the seller and scheduled a time to pick it up. worst case, it didn't work out and i resell it.

similar styles are going on ebay for $175, $300, $899, and $1100! whaaa?! thaz bonkers.

so here it is! as you can see - it really opens up the space. so much more room for activities!

and from another angle. brighter, yes? and i love how the brass matches the brass curtain rods.

a lot less crowded than before.

Ladyplace: The Making of a Living Room Gallery Wall

So if you recall from my post a few days ago, here is what we were left with after rearranging my living room furniture. An arrangement that made sense, but a very sad, very empty wall above the sofa.

So, in true Alaina fashion, I did what I've done time and time before... collected my art, grabbed a hammer and some nails, and started banging holes in the wall.

Well, it was slightly more organized...

I had all of my art stacked in various piles around my tiny new apartment, waiting for a permanent wall home...  I laid a number of the pieces out and realized two common themes: 

1. black and white. 2. Paris. 

Sounds like a good plan for my main living space if you ask me. So I puzzle pieced them together until it made sense. Then I eyeballed/made some rudimentary measurements and started hanging...

a few here...

a few there...

still need to fill in the gaps...

There she is!

The sparkles are the sun's reflection on my disco ball. Naturally.

and from an another angle

gallery wall sources:

1. ferris wheel // paris print shop
2. kimberly genevieve photo of jihan zencirli for the everygirl
3. watercolor bought in prague
4. yellow buildings in paris // etsy but can't find source
5. personal photo
6. origin // alicia bock postcard
7. vintage shaving mirror // curiosity in charleston, sc
8. kimberly genevieve photo of jihan zencirli for the everygirl
9. eiffel tower print // alaina kaczmarski (me!)
10. letterpress print // west elm
11. graffiti kiss // paris print shop
12. kimberly genevieve photo of jihan zencirli for the everygirl
13. vintage silhouettes // curiosity in charleston, sc

I bought these vintage and antique silhouettes in Charleston. 

I think they give it that something special don't you?

Here's the whole thing in motion...

gif's are fun.

The pups are pleased they match the room.

Next post: the new coffee table and other changes in the living room!

Three cheers for finally posting! Hip hip hooray!

six years later...

i'm finally going back.

i was very lucky to visit rome when i was nineteen, accompanying my nana on a trip she had planned with a travel tour bussing around italy, stopping in different cities. rome was the last leg of the 19-day journey, we were only there a day and a half, and we were both exhausted so i didn't explore it like it deserved. i believe trevi fountain, the vatican (not the sistine chapel), and a bus ride past the colosseum sums up my roman experience. pathetic. fortunately, i tossed a coin in the trevi fountain with hopes of returning. then in college, i studied abroad my junior year, living in london for five months and traveling to paris for a long weekend. two and a half days on a college-student budget is no way to see the city of lights, let me tell you; alas i left mesmerized, and not a single day has passed that i haven't day-dreamt of when i'd go back. true story. not a day. ask anyone who knows me.

well, i am beyond elated to say that in october, danielle and i are embarking on an 11-day adventure to london, paris, and rome–a dream we've talked about since we first started working together. and the best part is we'll be traveling with a group of 20- and 30-somethings via contiki tours, so we'll hopefully get to know some great people and meet up with bloggers and people we've worked with along the way!

any and all suggestions - particularly on great, beautiful restaurants and cafes, and shops! - are welcome!

Ladyplace: Arranging Furniture in the Living Room

So you may remember I originally placed the sofa in front of the windows when I moved in.

But I had to rearrange it because the sofa was blocking where the window AC unit needed to go.

So to this wall it went... which is fine but I wasn't thrilled about.

Next, to brighten the small space, I painted the room Farrow and Ball's Wimborne White.

...then added some oversized brass drapery rods from West Elm. Let me tell you, those were a real pain to hang on these slightly uneven walls. But how worth it!

Here's what the other half of the room was looking like. As you can see, I ran out of paint before finishing... need to get more.

So what I didn't like about this arrangement, while it made sense spatially, was that I was staring at a wall all day. This apartment doesn't get bright until the afternoon, so spending mornings sitting in a dark corner was less than ideal for kicking off the work day. 

Commence rearrangement #2
(and the arrival of my new striped rug!)

Desk goes over by the window.

 TV goes on expedit shelf.

 Bar gets downsized.

 And this big ole' wall remained blank for too long... I had no idea what to do with it, until one day, I did what I do best. Collected all of my art, grabbed a hammer and some nails, and went to town.

Gallery wall details forthcoming...

So what do you think? Which arrangement do you all prefer?

Forbes, Class of 2013

Well, the list is out. Forbes named The Everygirl a Top 100 Website for Women for the second year in a row. Cue freak out. Call Danielle. Parents. Boyfriend. Regain composure... then actually read the article...

"So what do we look for in a website? Informative and compelling content, sure, but also smart design, engaged communities and a voice that speaks to and for the female reader. We’re looking for the inspiration to start businesses, get stress in check, climb the corporate ladder or maybe just Lean In. Of course, there are extra fun points for the escapist sites we rely on to help us pass the dreaded three oh clock hour. But no matter how brilliant the recipes, your average cooking site won’t cut it; we’re looking for the intangible ‘something extra.’ These sites need to make us smile, make us think but most importantly make us share—sometimes via social, sometimes in email but we believe the true mark of great content is the kind that makes you step away from your desk and talk about it."
- Meghan Casserly for Forbes

And after looking over all of the other sites that made the list, we feel especially proud seeing that we are among such esteemed company. Thank you, thank you to all of our team and contributors - photographers, columnists, stylists, writers, interns, artists - and our readers! Obviously none of this would exist if it weren't for you.

Ok, I'm going to drink something bubbly now (she said at 4pm on a Tuesday).  #giddy

Ladyplace: Biscuit Bedding Arrived

 

So my namesake bedding and corresponding coral bordered sheets arrived from Biscuit Home. Needless to say I'm obsessed. The bedding is oh so soft and the Alaina print is 10,000x prettier, more colorful, and fun in person than it photographs. Take my word. A collection of mint, pink, and white w/ baby Eiffel Towers and scallop-trimmed shams. What else could I want for my uber girly ladyplace bedroom?

I still plan on painting the walls Farrow and Ball's Middleton Pink, and I want to add monograms to the Euro shams. But so far so good! Meloves. Thoughts?

photography by Alaina Kaczmarski

i'd like to explore...

...what's on the other side of that door.

location: charleston, sc

photography by alaina kaczmarski

around here lately

 i moved my desk over to the window. natural light is good for the soul. and work productivity.

had to dig out my passport for an upcoming trip. no words can express my excitement,
so for right now i'll just say... details are forthcoming.

these arrived. i can honestly say i had no idea they'd be so pretty. there really is a difference between j.crew collection and their other items. fortunately i got these on super sale.

fiona approves.

but also requested we get a smaller coffee table. more on that next week.

happy weekend everyone!

photos by alaina kaczmarski

...more from L O L L A (because it was that good)

FRIDAY

i saw: crystal castles, imagine dragons (sound fail), hey marseilles, hot chip, the killers

the most beautiful things i ever did see. premium, ya'll.

 helloooo grant park!

and helloooo lolla lounge complete with chevron poufs and adirondack chairs

 crystal castles downing jameson on stage

the killers

SATURDAY

i saw: little green cars, ben howard, ellie goulding, mumford and sons

heading into the festival, i spotted my friend jess lively's handbag on a concertgoer!

the little green cars

close-up of handsome ben howard

panoramic view from the red bull stage. we were the only three people on the platform for ben howard. not too shabby.

and while watching mr. ben howard, we looked down and saw the set list for mumford. mindblown.

picked up some fest essentials courtesy of fruttare - #itsallgood

saw ellie goulding do her thang

then grabbed dinner in the lolla lounge with my girlfriends

onstage waiting for Mumford...

marcus, ben, ted, and winston. tip of the hat to you, sirs.

SUNDAY

i saw: the mowglies, two door cinema club, vampire weekend, phoenix

best possible weather


the mowglies where i ran into not one but THREE everygirl readers! holla!

two door cinema club

waiting to go on stage for vampire weekend

vampire weekend

phoenix

and we found this picture of phoenix performing on a different website. thought it gives a better idea of where we were when i say "onstage." it's actually a raised platform ABOVE the stage, but still.


oh and i made this pretty cool lil' video

or you can check out more details and photos on the everygirl

and i'm spent.