And the award goes to... Me!

The lovely Ms. Colleen of North of 25A just gave me an award! The Beautiful Blogger Award! I've been blogging for more than 10 years now and almost a dozen of my blogs have come and gone but I must say, I've never won an award! This is super duper fantastically awesome! Thank you again, Ms. Colleen!

Here are the rules behind the award:

1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award. Check!

2. Pass this award onto 10 bloggers.

1. Zorks
2. G-ography
3. Dear Etsy...
4. Muse in Kansas
5. Rachel Red Lips
6. Too Much Too Young
7. Calivintage
8. Lulu Letty
9. Jess James Jake
10. Sweet Irie

3. Contact Blogs to let them know they’ve won. Check!

4. Tell seven things about yourself:

1. I am still trying to find my personal style but I'm totally digging the 80s lately.
2. I hoard clothes and shoes like there's no tomorrow.
3. "Sale" and "Clearance" are 2 of the most dangerous words.
4. I actually clip and use coupons.
5. I believe that Chocolate Chip Cookies are the best comfort food ever!
6. I'm very crafty. I can sew, crochet, and do artsy stuff with my dandy laptop.
7. The 10 Bloggers are blogs that I read most often. I have yet to properly introduce myself to some of them so I guess this would be the moment... *waves*

Random 80s Awesomeness

Sometimes, when your stars align, you get lucky and you find that totally awesome 80s piece like this one! I imagine the former owner of this shirt to be a Menudo fan and tacks gazillion posters of them on her bedroom wall. Or, she can be into Billy Idol and loves to tease her hair. Well, whoever owned this shirt definitely had a love affair with hairspray. 80s and Aquanet go together, yes? I don't know what I ate but this week, I've been feeling the 80s vibe. (It must have been the prunes!) Even in my recent shop updates, traces of this 80s vibe are evident.

Anyway, I recently purchased a vintage sewing pattern for some 80s tops and I cannot wait to get the dusty Singer out. I also have some vintage pillow cases I'm planning on using for this project. Now, if I can only find the time and the "pep".

Outfit Post: Fun With Stripes

I love wearing horizontal stripes! I guess because it's a lot more "fashion-friendly". I mean, would Breton stripes be iconic if they were vertical? I used to wonder if only Bert (Of Sesame Street fame) can pull off wearing vertical stripes. Well, after today's outfit post, I have to say that that statement still holds true. Not to say that my personal attempt was a complete failure. I mean, I like my outfit. I wouldn't walk around town if I didn't. I just found it rather distracting that everytime I looked at my shirt, I kept on thinking of only 2 things: Fruit Stripe Bubblegum and Hotdog On A Stick. (Please refer to photos above) Ok. Fine. I guess my shirt's design made it more Hotdog On A Stick and there's no thought more distracting than "hotdogs" (Think what you want!) while you're running errands around town! I think the outfit's full potential was sabotaged by the shirt's color combination rather than the presence of vertical stripes. Ah! I still think I will (Hotdog On A) stick to horizontal stripes, for now. Hehe!

• Vertical Stripe Blouse: Vintage, handmade
• Navy Blue Shorts: Vintage Carson
• Skinny Red Belt: Anne Klein
• Black Tights: Target
• Blue Flats: Etienne Aigner
• Blue Plastic Headband: Heritage 1981

Canvas Tote Bags

I recently went to an estate sale and purchased a rather unique canvas tote bag. It just popped out of the heaps and heaps of purses! Without much thought or inspection (or even haggling), I purchased the tote bag for the asking price. As soon as I got in my car, I started going thru my spoils and realized that the unique canvas tote bag that I just purchased was actually a tool bag! It's made by Klein Tools which has been around since 1857! That just made my tote bag even more awesome! I've never seen such a dandy and stylish tool bag like that! It's also good to know that my newly acquired tote bag is EXTREMELY sturdy. If it can carry tools, I think it should be good enough to carry my stuff around. (Not that I carry hammers or anything! Hehehe!)

So, fast forward 2 weeks later... I was reading through Lucky Magazine's April issue when I came across a tote bag that looked kind of familiar. These bags are called Flea Bags and they look just like my canvas tool bag! They're made by fleamarket addicts, Shira Entis and Alex Bell. Their bags are definitely very lovely and they have that Old English vibe. Of course, mine wasn't as fancy but I think they have the same flair. Just look at how similar they are! Check the bags out by clicking on the photos!

Shop Update: Shoes and Bags

I know that in my recent post I mentioned that I will probably add some coats. Well, the weather was kind of gloomy here so I wasn't able to take proper photos. Plus, I had to wash and prep the coats as some needed buttons. I was able to use my homemade lightbox though to take photos of shoes and bags. I bought a couple of clamp lights at Home Depot and I also used a couple of thrifted spotlights. I'm pretty satisfied with the outcome so please expect more shoes and bags updates from now on. Please visit the shop to check out the new items!

Outfit Post: Best Overall Performance

I went to the post office today to mail some packages and to get some shipping materials. I usually wouldn't "dress-up" for that but I found it as a good excuse to wear the denim overalls I thrifted a while back. After seeing how Jean Paul Gaultier updated the classic overalls in his Spring 2010 RTW Collection, my love and interest for the childhood playwear staple was rekindled. I must admit, I haven't worn overalls in a looong time so it was nice to be twenty something and be able to wear it again.

• Tan Corduroy Coat: Gap
• Red Orange Blouse with Peter Pan Collar: Vintage
• Dark Blue Denim Jumper: Squeeze
• Knee-High Socks: Target
• Brown Wedge Sandals: Old Navy

NOTE: Photos taken from Style.com (Clockwise, from top left: Jean Paul Gaultier, Cynthia Steffe, Rachel Comey and Ralph Lauren)

Zara February 2010

Living in Michigan, one of the shops I definitely miss is Zara. To me, Zara is Spain's equivalent of Topshop, which, of course, we also don't have in Michigan. Come to think of it, we also don't have Mango. Oh, well...

Anyway, I was browsing through Zara's February 2010 collection and was just inspired by their creative styling! (I never knew that I could wear my black frilly skirt like that!) Going through their lookbook almost felt like going through a J.Crew catalog minus the pastel colors. Very clean and preppy. Totally loving the blazer and shorts combo! Below are some styles I would like to emulate in the following weeks.

NOTE: Photos taken from Zara's website.

No. 6

I recently stumbled upon No. 6's Spring/Summer 2010 Collection and a couple of their pieces caught my attention. Their looks definitely have a retro vibe and if I've been familiar with the boutique, I should have known that Morgan Yakus, one of the owners of No. 6, is actually a vintage collector. If you're in New York's Little Italy, you should definitely stop by their lovely boutique. I've read good things about them. Their clogs are a hit too! Now tell me, how cute is that jumpsuit?

Mini Shop Update: Random Stuff

This is just a little shop update while I get my life back in order. I still have a ton of stuff but I plan to add some coats soon in time for April showers. I also added combined and international shipping the other day. Even with a shipping scale, I found it rather hard to do the proper math for the rates as each item weighs differently and shipping it with another item just makes it way more complicated! Not to mention, rates for each location (not just states, but countries too) vary as well. Ah! This will have to do for now.

I've been really busy organizing my room. There's just so much clothes, so much stuff all over the place! I had to take some of the stuff out to the living room so that I can move around. I can see "some" improvement but I have to say, I still feel really overwhelmed. There's still a lot more work to do! :(

Shop Update: Cardis and Skirts

I usually try to have a theme or some sort of inspiration when I update my shop but this time, I must admit, it's really just a random collection of stuff. They're mostly floral items though. It must be the spring vibe slowly creeping in. I still have a ton of items (Mostly shoes) that I haven't listed yet. If only there is a way to make listing items a lot easier. *sigh* But I guess it's also a good thing because I get to spend some more time with my babies before they are shipped to their new homes. I do spend quite some time looking at them, admiring them, checking them for repairs and such. Some are quite unique. But anyway, please stop by the shop for some new items. As always, I will try my very best to add more stuff. Thanks for visiting! I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend!

Welcome home!

As promised, I'll be updating my shop later. After taking and cropping what felt like a gazillion photos, I decided to take a break. It was snack time anyway and the headmistress gets recess too. Hehehe! While I was eating some animal crackers (Old School snack!), I saw a pair of swans and a mallard out on the pond. The pond hasn't completely thawed out yet but there were a couple of "open" patches where they were swimming. I felt bad because I think their timing was just a teeny weeny bit off and it must be frezing in that pond! But it's a good sign because with that pair of swans and that mallard, came the beginning of spring. Ah! But it won't be long now until those pesky geese finds their way back here...

Mod Madness!

I spent most of my free time browsing Etsy and eBay for vintage dresses today. The snow outside is thawing and soon, I can wear dresses again! Yipee! (For the past 2 days, I've been wearing flipflops outside actually. Ah! The sound of flipflops clacking on concrete. What a soothing sound!) But being a petite girl, it's very difficult to find vintage dresses my size so I decided to browse for vintage dress patterns instead. I must say, the McCall's pattern packages are so inspiring! They're so cute and lovely and makes me want to nab a vintage dress even more! Although I own a pretty good sewing machine, it's probably good to add that I also own a set of lazy bones. Well, that and the fact that I also lack patience. Obviously not a good combination if you want to sew a dress from the "ground up". *insert moment of revelation here* So back to browsing Etsy and eBay for me! (Say "NO" to delayed gratification! Hehehe!)

Just a note, I will try to update the shop tomorrow with some medium to large dresses and blouses so please check back again soon. (I will obviously keep the small ones, thank you! Hehe!) In the meantime, get inspired! March Madness? Mod Madness!

NOTE: Clipart taken from random McCall's pattern packages.

Drowning In Shoes!

I spent most of my weekend sleeping and cleaning up my closet. As I've mentioned in an earlier post, the hanger rail in my closet fell apart, leaving the closet inhabitants scattered all over the room. I'd take and post photos of it but it's such a disaster, I don't even want to think about it. (And I most definitely do not want to deal with it! Suffering from a severe case of laziness) Maintenance came the other day and now it's time to clean up. Boo! Just as I was getting used to all this mess. Hahaha! Hence, this shoe post. These babies will be going to the shop as soon as I get the strength to update it so please consider this as a little preview. I really have to get my stuff (and my brain) together!

Outfit Post: Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum

• Black and white turtle neck: Forever 21
• Red Belt: Anne Klein
• Black Pleated Tennis Skirt: Head
• Tights: Target
• Platform Heels: Bonnibel

Outfit Post: Geek Chic

Went out to the post office to send some packages. I was supposed to stop by Target to pick up some socks but decided to hit the local vintage store instead. I scored some cute corduroy blazers! I also picked up a pleated blue skirt. I suppose it was an ok day. Hehe! I swear, if it weren't for errands, I would be dressed in pajamas and a robe all day.

• Floral Tie-Neck Secretary Blouse: Vintage
• Salmon Vest: Target
• Brown Corduroy Skirt: Vintage
• Brown Suede Belt: Target
• Tights: Target
• Sandals: Charlotte Russe

Alice In Wonderland!

Mia Wasikowska with short hair reminds me of the other Mia with the same iconic haircut. Anyways...

Tomorrow's the day when Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland hits the theaters! I haven't been to the cinema in a long time and I reckon the last movie I've seen was "Up". I'm quite interested in this one that I actually just might use the free cinema passes that have been safely stashed in my purse since Christmas. I've visited the website and I've seen a couple of trailers and I have to say, I'm very excited! It looks like a complete eye candy overload! (And I'm not talking about Johnny Depp) The colors, the effects, the environment, the characters, and the costume! I don't know but I suddenly have that urge to wear my Rodarte Blue Swiss Dot dress (Or anything blue for that matter!) I feel like a child wanting to play dress up all over again! Anyway, I'm posting some character photos I got off the Internets. Now, if I can just find myself a bunny...

NOTE: Photos taken from Seventeen.com and Vanity Fair.

Shop Update: More Graphic Sweaters!

As promised, more sweaters. Yes. I do own quite a bit of sweaters. Even back when I was still living in the tropics, I owned quite a collection too. (Something that always puzzled family and friends) Sweaters are so effortless and that's probably why I like them a lot. You just throw them on and go! Now that I live in Michigan, sweaters are definitely a must and I have to say, novelty graphic sweaters make dressing up for dreary weather a bit more fun. Anyway, please visit the shop for more sweater madness.

Mini Shop Update: Graphic Sweaters!

If you like quirky novelty sweaters, then this shop update is for you! With winter almost over, I have decided to part ways with some of my favorite graphic sweaters. (Snow, be gone!) Who says your winter wardrobe has to be such a drab? Add a little fun with these sweaters! (Thanks to Punxsutawney Phil, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. I mean, how hard is it to pretend NOT to see your shadow, Phil?) I've got a gazillion other sweaters and cardigans to add so please stay tune! They're sure to make your grandma blush!

J Day!

J.Crew's March 2010 catalogue arrived in the mail yesterday and I was so pleasantly surprised that they featured some really cute looks with denim. I'm still kind of irked that they no longer have the Camden Brogues in Blush Pink but... Denim is so "in" this season! (Then again, when was it ever "out"?) Below are some of the looks that I liked. I'm really digging the whole blazer with denim look but unfortunately, it's still too cold here in Winter Wonderland Michigan to wear such outfit. I'm picturing jersey blazers with graphic tees worn with folded up boyfriend jeans and wedges or oxfords. Yeah! I also like the cropped jeans look. It's so rugged yet still preppy. Time to *snip snip* an old pair of jeans! Oh! I cannot wait for all this snow thing to be over!

NOTE: Photos above taken from J.Crew's March 2010 catalogue.

Prom Night

This month, years ago, we had our high school prom. I'm not the "prom" type simply because back then, I didn't enjoy dressing up *gasp* and until now, I still don't dance. I really would have never gone if it weren't for my dear mother's persistence. She told me that it was going to be one of those things that I have to experience and that it was something that I will never forget. How could I ever forget that night? I couldn't, even if I had my brain reformatted! Thanks to that giant pimple that decided to make a debut that night! I had to walk around with a ginormous angry pimple on my right cheek and that's all I could think about! Instead of prancing around, feeling like a "princess" (I assume most teenage girls pretend to be like princesses on their prom night?) I felt like a giant pimple because I did have one and it's on my face! Plus, I had photos to remind me of that night and that angry pimple! Gah!

But anyway, the whole drama about proms revolve around the dress and I wanted mine to look just like Emma's. (Emma as in Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie, Emma) To cut the long story short, my dress did not turn out anything like her dress. Let's just say that if a nun were to go to a prom, my dress would have been perfect for her. (Long sleeves, high choking neckline, knee length, and an itchy fabric in the lovely shade of ecru. Let's not forget the bow on the waist!) Needless to say, prom night was indeed an experience and definitely a night (no drug or brain injury) can make me forget. Making me and my high school friends burst out in reminiscent laughter is it's only purpose.

I would post my prom photos here but alas! They are back home, beneath 6 feet of earth and so I post lovely photos of Gwyneth Paltrow and her Emma dress instead. Gwyneth is such a classic beauty. I've always liked her face. There's something so ethereal about it. Hers and Zooey Deschanel's. They're so pretty! And their sense of style is impeccable! Anyways, the dress...

I must admit, I'm still glad I went to my high school prom because my dear mother is right. It's silly experiences like that that makes life more fun and exciting. It makes life richer and fuller. Those are moments we live for...

Shop Update: Denim is In!

After viewing D&G's Spring 2010 Ready-To-Wear collection on their website, I was inspired to update the shop with some denim items. I was supposed to update the shop with some sweaters but I changed my mind. Denim will always be in! I'll add the sweaters later.

I just have to say... I like the different ways D&G worked denim in this collection. I particularly love the ruffled denim corset dress. It's very pretty! I also liked the way they paired the usual denim shirt with that gauzy white ruffled skirt. I never thought of that! It's very cute! Who knew denim could be so feminine and romantic?

NOTE: Photos taken from Style.com (From top: D&G Spring 2010 and Donna Karan Spring 2008)

Sweater Style

NOTE: Photos taken from Style.com (From top: Proenza Schouler, Ralph Lauren, D&G, and Paul Smith)