What I've Been Up To

Hey guys! I'm not even going to mention how long it's been since I've posted because it's really embarrassing and I'm actually pretty ashamed of the hiatus! I've had a lot of life changes the past year including a job promotion to a manager at the boutique I work at! Yay! Growing up is funny because every year it feels like a major life change is happening, and every time it feels so overwhelming and new, and then you get through the year and life throws another curve ball.

One of the curve balls that I started to deal with last June was getting really bad stress-related acne. It all started when Ryan lost his job in February and we were still living in our Lakeview apartment which was too expensive for me to pay on my own for the 6 months of him being unemployed, but I still somehow managed to get by. Anyway - I was constantly worried about money and it was finally starting to show on my face. It started out on the sides of my cheeks, so it was super easy to conceal but also easy to ignore because other people couldn't see it. It was around the time that I stopped posting on this blog when it got really bad. I've had a lot of great outfit-post opportunities but I haven't been able to get past my skin to post anything.

I was approached by Simone France back in November to do a product review of their skincare line. Perfect timing, right? They ask you to fill out a form on their website before ordering any product for a personalized analysis of your skin type, what you're currently using on your face, and their understanding of how your skin is reacting to it. This was extremely informative and eye opening! I learned so much about the product I purposely bought for my acne and how it was effecting my skin. After hearing back from the skin care experts, I was recommended certain products and received them all at the beginning of December.

Boom in the Trunk

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been in moving-mode for the past 3 weeks and now that I'm finally settled in and not living out of boxes, I can share some exciting news with my Chicago readers! Tiffany Tucker of Fat Shopaholic has invited me and a few other bloggers to join her at her event Boom in the Trunk. It's at Beauty Bar on October 27, 2011 from 7-9:30. Plan on getting there early to receive a gift bag for the first 150 people! There will be Dj's and performers, a fashion show, and hello - $10 manicures! And P.S. This is a 21 and up event.

Please RSVP here via Facebook invite. Hope to see you guys there!

Hoarder in the Making

From Left to Right: Made in Belgium, from Buffalo Exchange, $12 // Made in Turkey, from Unique Thrift Store, $5 // (My newest addition) Made in the USA, from Unique Thrift Store, $5

Just a short post to show off a new addition to my carpet bag collection! I didn't really need it, but you can't taunt me with details like that and a $5 price tag. It's too cruel! I don't want to be a hoarder or anything, so I may have to eventually sell or trade one of these in the near future. For now, I'll just study the insane amount of detail that goes into the production of this style bag. It's intriguing!

Happy Labor Day!

So long bare-armed sun-filled days in the park with a good book, my lover (though he looks super grumps in this photo!), and our favorite summer mixes.

Well guys, it's Labor Day and you know what that means. It's (un)officially the end of summer! I'm a little sad that it's over, not going to lie! I enjoyed my summer, and though it wasn't always easy (financially), good things are on their way this upcoming season. Ryan has been unemployed for the past 6 months and I'm so excited that he finally got a great job lined up this past week! It's kind of funny, he actually has to work today on Labor Day but neither of us are complaining. Anyway - I try not to get too into my personal life on my blog, but that has been a major turning point this year for us. So happy that we're back on the right track!

Color Stories

Cardigan: Anthropologie // Top: Old Navy // Belt, Clutch: Vintage // Skirt: Gap // Shoes: Style 369 // Sunglasses: H&M // Watch: Art Effect

So, Monday was my birthday. I am now 24 years old! It amazes me how fast time flies, especially after your 21st and 22nd birthday. I'm getting up there man! I'm really hoping for a better year... the past couple have been bringing me down. I won't get too into detail but I'm super hopeful that the next year will be better. If I manage to save some money for November through January, I'd love to take a trip that isn't in Texas. I'm only mentioning this because a friend of mine found $116 round trip tickets from Chicago to New York! I've never been and the idea obviously really excites me.

Anyway, on to my outfit! It's like night and day from my last outfit post which is funny because the majority of my clothes sort of work together, but I end up going from one extreme to the other sometimes. Regardless - I love this outfit. It's a little corporate but I try to have fun with color every once in a while. I'm a sucker for kind of muted, earthy fall colors so when I saw this Anthro cardigan, I knew it would work with everything I own. Think about it - it's the perfect pop of color against forest green, burgundy, navy, camel, and a dark goldenrod. I love it even more because it also works for cooler summer days and the length is just perfect with any high waisted look. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but this tortoise, gold, white, blue-green, and an orangey red color story is making me long for another month of summer fun.



P.S. If you didn't notice, I got a haircut! It was shockingly only $24 at Floyd's Barbershop in Wicker Park. I think Mandi did a fabulous job. Also, Chicago was not allowing me to go without a cowlick in this post. Forever windy in the Windy City.

Shoe obsessions

The last time I actually went shopping was at the beginning of July, yet it seems like it's been forever ago. I only bought a few things here and there, returned some, and have worn the rest. Actually, I did buy a coat from the store I work at, but I used money I made from my shop so in my eyes, it doesn't count! It's a blessing and a curse that I've been so broke lately because I'm seeing SO much that I need. Every year I manage to scour up everything I'm lusting over into a wishlist and only end up buying one or two items. This year, I'm trying to be good since money is so sparse. I really need to focus on buying the right footwear to get me through the 6-7 months of fall/winter that Chicago is so famously known for.

Through scouring the internet for the best styles in shoes my size, I always seem to forget about Torrid. When I think of past footwear styles by this company, I think of 5" heel, patent leather hooker shoes. Needless to say, that's not really my thing. Recently I've noticed that they have seriously stepped up their game in terms of styles available in wide width. I'm super stoked that they're having a buy one get one half off sale, but I have to really simmer down my wants into needs.



The Nina // Camel Oxfords // The Serina // The Lola

Love the Nina flat, but I know I'd only wear it with a couple of black shift dresses in my closet and that would be the end of that love affair. I'd definitely get a lot of use out of the camel oxfords, so those are on my needs list. The Serina flats I'm still considering as a need, and as much as I love the Lola style, I realize that they're not a total necessity.



The Wendy in Brown and Black // The Lucky in Brown and Black

I love the Wendy, especially because of the wedge but realistically, I am on my feet 5 days out of the week with 8.5 hour workdays. I probably couldn't wear them to work and I'd be too tired to pull them off after hours. The Lucky has a more sensible heel with a 1/2 platform and 3" heel and after seeing this post from Calivintage, I realize that the brown booties need to be on my feet immediately.



The Lucy // The Tasha // The Toya // The Trusol

As much as I love the tall boot styles above and others on their site, there still isn't a style that I'm obsessing over. What I'm really looking for is a brown mid-calf flat-1.5" heel boot with little embellishments. The Trusol is a popular style that I've been seeing the past couple of years, but is only currently available in black. The Tasha is great but I'm kind of over the knee high look. Crossing my fingers that I'll find the perfect pair!

American snapshot

It's been nearly 2 months since my last outfit post and my hair has probably grown about 2 inches since my last haircut. As I've said in previous posts, life has been nonstop crazytown since I came back from my trip and I've been putting things like getting a haircut on the back burner. Plus, haircuts cost money and that's something I've also been lacking these days.


Top: Acne, from Crossroads // Shorts: Forever 21 // Sandals: Evans // Bag: Thrift // Necklace: Renegade Craft Fair // Watch: Art Effect // Bracelet: La Mariposa // Sunglasses: Free People

All stress aside - I'm happy to be making outfit posts again! The backdrop in these photos are from a garbage truck that was parked in front of the alley to my apartment. Pretty stoked to see that before a day of errands and clearly kept it in mind for an end-of-the-day photo op. The top I'm wearing was a fabulous find from Crossroads. The retail price on that tee has to be like 9 times what I paid for it. It's a size small, which begs me to question how designers size oversized garments. Anyway- the fabric is so yummy and easy, I want to wear it everyday. Not the greatest shape in photos, but I don't mind. It's comfy and so are my favorite $15 Forever 21 shorts that seem to go with everything. It's pretty clear to me that I'm all about staying comfortable for the remainder of SU11, haha.

Before I end this post, I have to mention this woman that nearly put herself in incoming traffic only to ask where I got my bucket bag pictured in these photos. It's funny and also kind of scary what we will do for fashion!

La Mariposa

One of the best parts of my trip was a shopping date with my sister Rita (check out her blog - she has an incredible archive of refurbished furniture every week). Instead of going to the mall, which I also did but at a different time, we went to the Bishop Arts district and to a few shops on Henderson. The sad part of it was that we decided to go on July 3rd and little to our knowledge, a lot of the shops planned on closing for the holiday weekend. Such a bummer! We found the loveliest little vintage boutiques with the prettiest sea foam green exterior that was just begging me to stop in. I guess I'll have to go back next time. One boutique that I couldn't miss was a hot pink shop called "La Mariposa". I was in LOVE.







There are a lot of things that I gravitate towards, but I don't know if anyone really expected me to be blown away with this shop as much as I did. It did a couple of things to me. It took me back to my childhood with all the Mexican embroidered dresses, cute little bright colored woven change purses and of course all the turquoise you can imagine. It was so full of memories and inspiration because it was so authentic. Then it got me thinking about where we are in fashion right now and everything is a duplicate, a hugely manufactured copy of my culture. I'm not here to preach about it, I just found it intriguing. While I was here, my niece and I bought friendship bracelets and I got a fantastic ring from one of those trays in the second picture.

I wonder if there were shops like this in the Midwest, would they survive? Is this just a Texas thing or would these trends be strong enough to survive heavy traffic cities like Chicago?

Come tomorrow, I'll be on my way back home

I can't believe I haven't blogged since June! I have to admit, July felt like forever and while I've been documenting most of my time, I haven't had a chance to breathe and work on blogging. The first week of July I flew back home to Dallas and had a great holiday week with my family. Part of the festivities included a long overdue graduation party, a massive trip to Sephora, and finally getting a smartphone (which I'd end up having to get replaced in less than a month but more on that later). As much as I love Chicago, I really miss home. I never remembered Dallas having so much charm. It was so refreshing to go back revisiting old spots, people I used to know, and visiting new places I seemed to have overlooked so long ago.



My sister Rita made my graduation banner and decorations. She bought all of these vintage sewing patterns and made the letters with the illustrated photos on the packaging and paper flowers from the actual patterns. She gets me. My sister Andrea should still be mentioned as she did most of the actual event planning. I love my sisters!



And talk about the cutest graduation cake ever. Strawberry cake with vanilla icing... my fave.



My Fourth of July was spent watching my youngest niece Alyssa in a parade, hanging out, laughing, and playing games with the rest of my family. In the evening, I sat parked in my grandmother's neighborhood of 50 some odd years with my mother and her mother watching fireworks. I can't remember that day being any more perfect. I'll never forget it.

So the rest of my July went a little something like this: First week spent at home, 6 days of work in a row, 6 days of my brother visiting Chicago, massive flood in my apartment due to an insane storm, phone totally wiped out, and 6 days of cleaning it up/fixing damages. But I am alive! I survived July!

Vintage Virgin

Well, it's the last week of June and it's definitely been the longest month ever. I've been so stressed out that my skin has been breaking out because all I can think about are possible changes in my life. But that's normal, right? Anyway, thank goodness for my week vacation in Dallas! I leave July 1st and I'll be back in Chicago on the 7th so I'm super excited about that. Even though all my vacations in the last four and a half years have been to Dallas, I can't be bitter. I miss my fam! On top of that, my brother is visiting me in Chicago a week after I return to the Midwest. Yay for family!



Speaking of family (I love a good segue), I have been obsessing over Vintage Virgin, a fashion blogger that is also a mom. Her look isn't 100% my style, but I appreciate that she styles her vintage pieces in a very current way. Just seeing her blog really inspired me to bust out my vintage clothing and play around with my more modern pieces. It seems like an obvious thing to do, but sometimes I ignore the more unique pieces in my closet because my newer pieces are just easier to style (aka I've been caught being lazy, haha). Anyway - her story really got me thinking the other day. I know I've been one to speak about how little time I feel that I have to spend blogging, but if this mom can do it, and OFTEN, then maybe time isn't an excuse for me? Maybe there's something deeper that passes photo opportunities and the like that I'm not willing to admit. Hmm. Food for thought.