Nautical Navy

Why hello there pals, how are ya this fine Friday? I'm pretty darn great, just happily luxuriating in the wonderful warm weather with my fave shorts on,  sipping a deliciously sweet guava mojito I made with mint from my garden.  I was feeling pretty nautical (these sailor shorts sure have that tendency) until I mixed in the blue and pink floral shoes with the blue-toned outfit. No way would a real sailor have swabbed the deck in short-shorts and kitten heels... or would they?

I'm also really really looking forward to tomorrow. For months now, Eric and I have only had one day off work together each week, and the few hours we squeeze in at night don't always add up as  great "quality time." Tomorrow, we will get to spend the entire day together, at a baseball game in San Francisco. There might even be a little stop into a Sephora, if I can manage it! Life is sweet ♥

vintage dooney & bourke bag  

bdg sailor shorts 

thrifted polka dot blouse

forever 21 floral kitten heels {similar}

 a.j. morgan feline sunglasses in leopard

golden deer skull necklace

Pacific Blue

macy's blouse via crossroads trading co.

vintage dooney & bourke handbag • daniblack shoes via crossroads 

 a.j.morgan cat-eye sunglasses • h&m cardigan

On Saturday Eric, Oreo, my mom and I headed down Highway One to Big Sur for a belated Mother's Day treat. Lucky lucky us, it was a beautiful day. I would have worn cropped pencil pants to complete the starlet-on-retreat vibe, but I settled on my trusty jeans, cuffed. We had lunch at Nepenthe, a lovely place overlooking a pristine expanse of Pacific Ocean, and walked to a little forest waterfall in the hills afterward. It was actually almost a hike, so I switched into Van's for that part. Stay tuned for more photos of the trip (and food!) later this week ♥ 

P.S. That brown plant is an extremely tall dormant agave plant. Usually they're around man height; this one and it's partner are growing close to thirty feet tall!

Blue Belle

Good morning Monday ya'll. Isn't it wonderful when random perfect items make their way to you, without you needing to search? That's kind of true for everything I'm wearing today. After pining for affordable lace shorts for a year, I was lucky enough to be approached by oasap.com and wham! there those comfy black babies were on my first shopping trip. Thanks again, gals! My work has had these cat's-eye sunglasses for weeks and I ignored them, but then I caved and tried them on  and fell for them. Lucky for me, I get to pay wholesale for my cheap plastic sunnies!

black lace shorts & studded bag c/o oasap ♥ vintage blouse & shoes via 

crossroads trading co. ♥ a.j. morgan cat-eye sunglasses ♥ brown hue tights

The pink velvet loafs were a Crossroads find from a different day. Finding choice items at secondhand stores means you pretty much need to work there (I was employed at Crossroads in Santa Cruz for several months and had practically no paychecks!). Either that or you have to know someone who works there or visit a lot (I work across the street from said Crossroads, which means four days I week I can potentially run through the store on my lunch hour, getting a feel for what's there and what's new). The vintage navy blouse with delicate crochet accent was an amazing find a different day, one that mixes two trends I've been meaning to try: sheer fabric and collars!

Real Life is for March

It's Leap Day! In case you didn't know (or didn't catch 30 Rock last week), Leap Day is a magical bonus day that comes around every four years where you take chances and wear bright blue and gold. But since my high school's colors were blue & gold, the combination kind of gives me flashbacks so I didn't wear the solid yellow skirt I originally planned. Instead, I wore the bright blue sweater I caved and ordered before the shopping ban. It's a bit cool for gold lamé booty shorts, but I'm sure Leap Day William was still satisfied.

♥ popcorn knit Forever 21 sweater
♥ vintage dress {similar here & here}
♥ brown Hue tights
♥ Wolverine boots

Flowers & Fur

We're still enjoying the mild winter weather here in Santa Cruz. I mean, I'm still layered up, but there are plenty of people in t-shirts and shorts. I can't help loving the grey-and-rouge texture clash of the last picture. It's as though the cardi and clutch were made for each other. How mesmerizing! It almost takes the eye away from the happy psychedelic dress ;)

diy faux fur clutch // thrifted vintage dress // sale bdg cardigan from pretty mama

thrifted tooled leather belt // Cost Plus bead necklace // Wolverine western boots

Shaved Ice

This past weekend I woke up before noon and headed out to the flea market. Oh memories of snow cones, sunburns, and scented pencils... I haven't been in a longggg time, and I was pleasantly surprised by both the lowered entrance fee and the goodies I found: a vintage watch for my ever-expanding arm party, some cute purses for the shop, cheap floral sunnies, bananas, and the most precious little music box keychain. I wore a thrifted paisley dress that always has me feeling like a 60's housewife (older gentlemen tend to love this dress), my largest bag and simple sandals from Ross, and I threw on a dark green military jacket at the last minute for warmth. 

The skies have been so grey, my dress really popped! Or maybe people stared because a) no one else wears dresses to the flea, and b) my bra came unhooked and fell down to my waist halfway through my journey around the market and I tried to casually hold it there while continuing to browse... That strangeness aside, I also got a new phone! My phone has a better camera than my actual point-and-shoot now. I get so excited and dorky about new phones and gadgets. What are your gals' favorite games and apps?? I'm obsessed with Angry Birds, Words With Friends, expense tracking and...

Knot At All

Pardon my blah face. I slept so much over the weekend, I'm having a hard time shaking this grogginess! It was actually tolerable to wear just a little cardigan, even though thunderstorms were in the forecast. Before the deluge, I got some shots in during the dreary afternoon. I'd almost forgotten this nautical print skirt I made last winter, but as I was doing that annoying morning panicky dance in front of the closet not seeing anything that "felt right," I started digging and found it again. What a comfy skirt perfect to add some color to. (Typin' of colors, per a request, I'm working on a Color Combining 101 post and it's reignited my passion for the color wheel! Look for it later this week.)

The spiced chai (with honey and soy milk) from The Bagelry is my favorite in town, if I can't get to my trusty Trader Joe's powdered mix. When I went to pick up my hot beverage this morning, I also spotted some cream soda for later, and then got hooked up with a free smoothie! And for lunch I was craving this amazing tortilla soup from Cafe Campesino... lot's of liquid love today. Had to loosen my belt a notch or two ;)

tank top \\ Forever 21
full skirt \\ self made
bag \\ Kimchi Blue
wedges \\ Target
belt \\ thrifted
tail \\ H+M

I had a fabulous weekend full of food, thrifting, boy time, movies, shopping and zzz's. But as a blackberry user, I've been growing more and more jealous of all the fun stuff pretty much every other smartphone offers. Hipstamatic, cool photo filters, Words With Friends, I want to play, too!! So I collected some snaps from the weekend and faked it ;) I can't wait for August and phone upgrade time!

I hope you've had a wonderful start to June <3

Mustard Seed and Flatform

I'd been eying these shoes at Crossroads for a few weeks, yet wasn't totally sure. But I kept thinking about them and then one day, there they were in the half-off section waiting for me. They add a modern element to a vintage-y, lady-like outfit. This gingham shirt has been getting a lot of wear lately, and I love how the fabric adds interest to the outfit while tying in the black shoes. I'm sorry I'm lagging on tutorials, I need to make one for this pleated jersey skirt asap! It's perfect for spring/summer.

Restyling Ideas:
- ditch the cardigan and replace the gingham button-down with a sheer, lacy black top
- add textured tights and a slouchy beanie for nighttime adventures
- add a third color with a belt or scarf (I'm thinking watermelon pink!)

I'm so excited for our dinner + movie date tonight! Eric's back is finally almost mended, so he can handle sitting upright for a few hours in a theater seat and a restaurant booth. After a few months of physical stagnation, I'm so happy that he is feeling much better! Sushi and X-Men, here we come!!

 ring \\ H+M, $6
vintage basket bag
skirt \\ self made, $4
cardigan \\ H+M, $19
Gap shirt \\ Crossroads, $8
Rampage flatforms \\ Crossroads, $5

Happy Weekend!!

xo