Hoppy Holidays

Christmas Eve dinner was almost a disaster...because my family forgot to make/buy desserts!!! But luckily my handsome hero, Eddie, came to the rescue with a box of DeLuscious cookies and milk. Anyone that knows me will know that I can't live without sweets and desserts. I mean...there must be a reason why literally 95% of people that gave me gifts added in bars, bags, & boxes of chocolates as a part of their presents to me. I'm clearly a chocoholic and there's no denying it lol. Ain't no shame in my game....

Because I tend to get carried away with food and sweets in general (especially during the holiday season), I decided to wear a loose fitting silk dress from Maggie Ward to hide my food baby after chowing down at the Christmas Eve dinner. I styled it with thick brown tights, crocodile boots, and a vintage bunny fur coat I found at a flea market to top off my look. I sloppily piled my hair on top of my head in a bun and called it a day.

Anyway, Christmas Eve and Christmas have been absolutely magical. I was lucky enough to see a lot of people I really care about and miss...especially my childhood best friend from when we were 3. She's been all the way in Panama and I haven't seen her since she left a year and a half ago for the peace corp so seeing her made my Christmas extra special!

I must say that there's really nothing as amazing as finding a friendship that will literally last a lifetime. This particular friendship has lasted over 20 years and it's got enough fuel to last a million more lifetimes. I love you to the moon and back, Tali!!! Ok...enough mushy gushy stuff. I hope everyone had an amazing time celebrating Christmas yesterday! I'm getting ready to head out camping soon and I can't wait to post about it when I get back!!!!

Bunny Fur Coat: vintage

Silk Dress: Maggie Ward (Saks Fifth Avenue)

Tights: Hue

Crocodile Boots: vintage

Earrings & Necklace: Vanessa Mooney

Rings: Jenny Bird & Spanish Moss

White Christmas

It's less than a week until Christmas and I can barely contain myself! I love love love this time of year especially because of all the fun gatherings that take place...like this ugly Christmas sweater party at my friend's house in Ventura.

Eddie and I were totally lame and didn't have anything super festive or 'ugly' enough to wear so we settled with whatever we could find in our closets. We weren't sure we would even be able to make it because we both worked this past weekend so we didn't have time to prep anything. I just threw on one of my mom's old embellished sweaters from the 80s (that I've had hidden in my closet for years) over a white bodycon dress, nude tights, and a pair of Jeffrey Campbell heels. I accessorized with a vintage cream & gold headband, Vanessa Mooney earrings & bracelets, and Jenny Bird rings. 

All in all, it was simply an amazing night filled with many many laughs with great friends, heavenly cookies & cupcakes, warm snuggles with puppies, and competitive flip cup (like the good ol' Santa Barbara days). 

Embellished Sweater: Vintage

Bodycon Dress: LF Stores (not visible)

Heels: Jeffrey Campbell 'Solitaire' (here)

Earrings & Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney (here and here)

Rings: Jenny Bird (here and here)

My lovers.

 

Elf boy and Olive

The winner of the 'ugliest' sweater, which tells an elaborate story of a marriage gone way wrong.

 

Drinking like we were back in college.

Snuggle sesh with Mufasa. 

Flea Market Fun

One of my favorite things to do is treasure hunt at flea markets on the weekends! I personally love the Pasadena City College Flea Market, which takes place on the first Sunday of every month, because it always has great one of a kind pieces of furniture at affordable prices! Now that my house is starting to come together, I was on a hunt for unique things to decorate it with including some smaller antique wood furniture, picture frames, small mirrors, and cute vases. Although I didn't get everything I was in search for, I still had a blast and found some other treasures. One of the reasons I love antique flea markets so much is that you just never know what you're going to find and bring home! I ended up getting some really random things like old iron hangers, a gold belt, a wooden horse thing to decorate the garden, some plants, and a couple picture frames from the 1940s.

I kept my outfit super simple and comfortable yesterday. I wore an Emma and Sam tank top, Joe's Jeans cutoff shorts, Jeffrey Campbell booties, and a hat. I spiced up the outfit with layers and layers of silver jewelry from Vanessa Mooney.

Below are some helpful tips for flea market shopping.

Tips:

1) Wear comfortable shoes because you'll be doing a whole lot of walking!

2) Apply sunblock and bring a hat because like yesterday, the sun can get really intense. Always protect your skin from the sun's intense rays because skin cancer ain't no joke, y'all! 

3) Either Arrive Early or Arrive Late--if you have specific items in mind and you want the first pick, go early. That way you'll  also avoid the heat. But there are benefits for arriving near pack up time. If you're willing to miss out on the first picks, go later because sellers are more willing to adjust prices at the end of the day when the probability of selling their items are lower. It really depends on your own preference. I personally prefer to go early and get my pick first.

4) Make sure to bring cash.

5) Go prepared with water and maybe some snacks.

6) If you're in search for furniture, make sure you bring a car that can transport your furniture home. Flea markets don't come with delivery so make sure to think ahead!

7) Don't walk away from an item you're in love with. If you're in love with the piece (especially furniture), bite the bullet and buy it! If you love it, chances are there's someone else that loves it just as much or more! Remember...these are usually one of a kind pieces that you won't be able to find at a furniture store like Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel! I need to follow this tip myself because I have done this countless times. I'll walk away to think about it and come back to see it has a sold sign on it.

Happy Labor Day to you all!! I gotta go get ready for some BBQ fun with my boyfriend and friends now! Don't forget to have fun and stay hydrated today!

Tank: Emma and Sam (LF Stores)

Cutoff Shorts: Joe's Jeans (here)

Hat: LF Stores

Necklaces: Vanessa Mooney (here)

Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney (here and here), Luv AJ (here), and thrifted

Rings: Amrita Singh, TomTom Jewelry, vintage

Booties: Jeffrey Campbell 'Isley' (here in black)

Cold Shoulders

My boyfriend decided to surprise me with a really nice 'dinner and a movie' type of date. Without telling me what we were doing or where we were going, I put together this outfit. I figured since the weather in LA has been in the 100s lately, I'd throw on something that I wouldn't overheat in.

I'm really not a fan of surprises but this was such a fun date! It's rare that I get to go on nice dates with my boyfriend because of our conflicting work schedules but this worked out perfectly for us. He took me to this luxurious movie theater about 45 minutes from where we live. You may wonder what's so luxurious about it that we'd drive so far.  So let me just start with RECLINING LEATHER SEATS! Yeah...you read that right! He planned ahead and reserved our seats online earlier. Once we got there and were seated, a waitress came and took our order for dinner. Honestly, this was the fanciest movie theater I have ever been to with gourmet food AND cocktails! All I had to do if I wanted to order more food or get a refill was push a button on my seat and our waitress came to us in a matter of seconds! To top off the amazingness of this place, I was able to put the armrest between us up and snuggle comfortably with my man.

Because I wasn't expecting to go to the movies, I wasn't prepared for the cold air conditioning. But that was fine because my boyfriend just simply pressed the button and ordered a blanket for me to keep my 'cold shoulders' and legs warm.

Overall, I give my boyfriend an A+ for this date. Perfect movie (Monsters University...since I'm a total sucker for any and all animated/family movies), perfect atmosphere, perfect dinner, and perfect boyfriend. Can't really complain about any of that. 

'Cold Shoulders' Blouse: Finders Keepers

Silk Patterned Shorts: Greylin (Nordstrom)

Shoes: Dolce Vita 'Elka' Sandals (here in black/silver)

Purse: Miu Miu (here)

Necklace: Chan Luu (similar here in grey Swarovski crystals and black leather)

Rings: TomTom Jewelry (here and here)
Cross Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney

Flower Power

I don't know about you, but I love how throwing on anything floral immediately gives me the feeling of being feminine and beautiful. There are just some days where we all feel a little blah, so I fix this feeling by glamming it up and adding some floral or lace to my look. 

Earlier this week, I had a graduation to attend but I wasn't feeling very pretty so I threw on this little number. This beautiful hi-low, flowy, floral dress is an oldie but a dependable goodie. This definitely did the trick and resulted in me feeling instantly confident and beautiful. So try this the next time you aren't feeling your prettiest and it'll work wonders for you too! And if all else fails, just go buy yourself a bouquet of flowers and that's guaranteed to do the trick. Don't ever underestimate the power of some beautiful flowers, girls!

 To complete my outfit, I threw on a yellow blazer to give my look a bit more of a polished and springy feel while pairing it with some nude colored sky-high heels. My friend once told me that her grandma always told her "Keep your head, heels, and standards high" and I couldn't agree more. Must have been a very wise woman!

P.S. Congratulations to my boyfriend's beautiful and brilliant little cousin that just graduated from high school! I love you, Erika, and I am so darn proud of you!

Dress: LF Stores

Blazer: Bluette

Purse: Chloe
Shoes: Steve Madden (similar here)

Necklace: Jenny Bird (here)

Crystal Ring: Charlene K (here)

Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney and flea market finds