DIY Inkblot Tee

DIY inkblot flowy top ($5 shirt from H&M) // DIY/Unionbay distressed denim shorts //

Thrifted dark green fitted boyfriend blazer // Thrifted J. Crew light blue strappy sandal heels (size 6; selling!)

Forever 21 double black triangle necklace //

Photography: JJ

WHAT DO YOU SEE? A quick post as I'm scrambling to fit everything into a suitcase. I'm headed to CHINA for 3 weeks, and as you know the Great Firewall doesn't like Blogger (personally I think it's a plot to keep all the kids from distraction but they find their ways - I'm looking at you, World of Warcraft gold miners). Hopefully I can get a VPN.

Wore this dressed-up casual outfit for exploring dowtown San Jose and some yummy Vietnamese dinner (6/10). I really enjoy the strong lapel on this forest green blazer, thrifted for only $4 at Thrift Town in San Francisco when I met up with Whitney and Mallory of WhitWatWear. It fits like a glove and looks especially flattering in the back, flared yet fitted. Thanks for a great time, girls! Speaking of these fun and giggly gals, they made a tutorial on how to make DIY inkblot tees! This was a super cool, unique, and fun project (see their video here) - you need a bit of soft fabric paint, posterboard, and a simple, preferably white, tee. So all in all this project only cost $8, materials and all :) Talk about awesome. And shhh don't tell but this entire outfit cost $25 including accessories.

So, what do you see in this inkblot? I see Frank the bulldog from Men in Black, JJ sees a scary clown, and I've gotten responses from "a fat tiger" to a crying woman. Let me know in a comment because faux psychoanalysis is fun.

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Princess Peach

Thrifted at Scholarshop mint green sheer blouse // Forever 21 peach hi lo skirt //

Thrifted J. Crew light blue strappy sandal heels (size 6, for sale) // Thrifted at Goodwill vintage style nude belt //

Photography: JJ (it's so nice to have your help again ♥)

IF ONLY LUIGI WORE MINT GREEN. Wearin' my "Drama Skirt" as I call it. Can you believe that most of this outfit was thrifted? In fact, everything except the hi lo skirt is. When I stumbled upon this mint green sheer blouse at Scholarshop in St. Louis, the fit looked floppy but when I tried it on we were MFEO (made for each other). The fit is perfectly loose and the right length. Yay for smaller small sizes back then. These J.Crew light blue strappy sandals looked like they were barely worn and I deliberated over this and a pair of strappy Ann Taylor wedges and came home with both, in addition to two vintage-y belts, one of which is in this outfit. Yay for Goodwill! I will be selling these J. Crew heels so email me if interested!

This was for my last day in Norcal (6/11) - it was sizzling hot in the 90s so I wanted to look good at the airport for once but not dehydrate myself from washing my clothes with eau de sweat. This was maybe a little too dramatic of a getup for lunch at a Korean Tofu house (YES doboki!) and testing out Philz Coffee downtown (get the Mint Mojito and stir - it is SOOO good) and waiting for my delayed plane but YOLO, right?

Easy, breezy, beautiful ... HI LO SKIRTS. Watch out, Covergirl.

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Denim and Polka Dots

Thrifted Goodwill denim vest // Forever 21 blue tank top // Pitaya polka dot asymmetrical skirt //

Forever 21 black triangle layered necklace // DIY/Converse All Star checkered sneakers //

Bracelets from H&M (gift from JJ's Mom) and F21 //

Photography: Dad

THE ANATOMY OF TONGUE IN CHEEK. I'm backkkk! Those 9 days in Norcal have been a blurry blast, filled to the brim with excitement and adventure. I need this full week before China to recoop and to blog (haven't been on my computer for over a week thanks to my new iPhone being all handy with shiny apps and snap-happy camera functions) about the trip. I'm a little scared to open Google Reader and see the zillions of posts not making it to my retinas because of spontaneous coffee trips, flying kites on the beach, the weirdest donuts and my ever-growing love affair with San Francisco.

Quick post before reading Nickel and Dimed to bed, pics quickly snapped in 2 minutes by my wonderful and careful Dad photog. It was super foggy and almost dark after my afternoon out in a nearby plaza: reading The Power of Habit at B&N, aimlessly wandering through boutiques and picking through Ross (got a belt loop hanger for $2), discovering the oh-so-rich-goodness Dark Chocolate Latte at Coffee Bean. Denim sleeveless vest for summer, seen on fashionable chicas in Santa Cruz and thifted mine for $5 at the Goodwill near JJ's house. Inspired particularly by one girl on the Boardwalk wearing a pleated polka dot mini with hers. Comfy, temperate, a dash of "cool" vibe as I toted around my purse full of coloured pencils and new Anatomy Coloring Book to study via kindergarten methods for my 18th year of education #nerdalert. (Now I realize the angle/poses/layering make me look super stunted - next time I would wear the asymmetrical skirt hi-lo to elongate my legs)

I think my fingers are so deprived from a proper keyboard this turned into one full-on verbal rampage.

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Sponsored Post: Flip-flops can be fashionable too

Most of us think of flip-flops and sandals as casual beachwear accessories to be worn while relaxing on holiday, pottering around the garden on a summer’s day or soaking up the sun while at the beach. But just because they’re comfortable, hugely practical and more often associated with dressing-down and enjoying yourself, it doesn’t mean we can’t look fashionable at the same time as wearing them.


That was certainly the case for Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney when he was spotted in a pair of stars and stripes sandals by the Daily Mail. Sure, he may be taking the whole ‘adopting the country of my new wife’ thing a little too far, but you can’t say he doesn’t look stylish. Other celebrities customizing flip-flops to become more than just a casual beach accessory include Nina Garcia, Courteney Cox, Rebecca Romijn and Tori Spelling, all of whom teamed up with a trendy clothing line to launch a special Mother’s Day Mommy & Me flip flop collection.


The collection aims to plug into that age-old tradition of children copying their mother’s fashion style with a matching collection of adult and children’s flip-flop shoes, all of which have been custom designed by one of the celebrity mothers. Every pair of sandals is supposed to reflect the personal style of their designer, harnessing them so that they’ll be fun and funky enough to look great on kids as well as parents.


However, if you think all that might be a little naff – plus, kids copying their ‘moms’ is surely more of an American thing and definitely one that gets boring pretty quickly for the little ones – then check out that the fantastic selection of gladiator sandals and flip flops at Littlewoods.com. You’ll be able to find all the colourful designs you could want for your kids to tread the sand this summer, while a few more grown-up styles should cater for adults whose idea of fun isn’t to match their children item for item in the clothing department.

This article is a sponsored post and was written by the sponsor (as you can tell by the British English flavour); it has been reviewed by me. I received monetary compensation. Photo credit: linked back to site

Oxford Prep

Pitaya navy boyfriend tuxedo blazer // College Crests of Cambridge tshirt (old) //

H&M tweed plaid high waisted shorts // Sheer black thigh high tights (old) //

Forever 21 lace up oxford booties //

Poshlocket gold and silver striped Celeste bracelet (c/o) // CLAWS Jewelry cobra black stone gold necklace (c/o)

Photography: self, camera and remote

ONE OF THE BOYS. Tomorrow I am heading to Norcal to visit JJ and friends until the 11th. Yay! I'm really excited for potential blogger meetups in the area too (Whit and Mal, for instance). This outfit I wore yesterday pulled together elements of tomboyness and preppy, which makes me think of boys prep schools and A Separate Peace. I also reused some ancient pieces that I found in boxes back home. This tshirt is from junior high - most of my stuff still fits from back then because I haven't grown much since then (crazy, right?). It was a gift from my Dad when he went to England and it used to be part of my everyday nerd wardrobe (no, not the cute nerd-trend type) and these ever-popular sheer thigh high tights are from years of playing in orchestra (totally beats having to wear full blown pantyhose when you're already wearing a floor length dress). My knees never held onto these things the proper way anyway and the black strip always rolls downwards.

My bangs severely need a trimming and I can't believe it's JUNE. Where has the year gone? And I will give you a thousand virtual cookies if you'll take a gander at my blog sale and maybe get something :)

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