Sequins

 

This sequin dress will be in the upcoming shop!  The full shop preview will be up later this week. 

The husb and I had a wonderful weekend, doing yard work and painting in the house.  My friend Kelly & I were at the Highball on Saturday for Austin Flea, and to check out a nearby vintage shop.  Found an amazing Betty Draper-ish dress that I can't wait to show off! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. :)

Less is More

I'm on the fence about these pants.  Then again, I'm more of a skirt girl, if you haven't noticed.  It was the perfect time to bust out my souvenir hat from Bohol though :)

So, update--I did get promoted at work!  I started out with an expiration date, and ended up with a bigger desk and a pay increase.  Good job, self!

It's been a long journey to this point actually.  When I graduated from college, I landed a job any merch major would kill for--a job I thought I wanted and a giant paycheck to go with it.  Little did I know how soul-crushing Corporate America can be.  Oh yeah, the money was great--except that I cried every day and fantasized about leaping out of office windows.  Pretty dark, huh?  And if you know me, you know I hate emotions!  So the crying was a problem.

It didn't take me long to quit that life and move to Austin, working my way through some amazing local boutiques.  I certainly didn't make anything near what I made at my first job, but guess what?  I was so much happier with less than when I had more.  I really enjoyed retail (and still hope to have a shop of my own someday) but finally it was time to move on.


My new job definitely has its stressful moments, but it's rewarding to be appreciated for qualities other than my ability to get dressed in the morning. :)  For now, I've found the right balance of money and happiness.

Busy Bee

One of my most treasured necklaces--a gift from my boss at a boutique I worked for when I first came to Austin.

Useless belt pocket?  Check.

Random shoes I found while going through my old college boxes.  They're from...Victoria's Secret??

Well, well, another week is close to being over...thank goodness!  I'm almost done giving my Etsy shop a little makeover, but I'm thinking about posting everything I plan to sell HERE first!  That way, you readers will have first dibs :)

I still need to take all the measurements, but here's a teeny-tiny preview:

 

 This gorgeous thing...and more!!  Very very soon :)

South of Heaven

Until recently, I was forced to wear t-shirts and jeans for work for about 6 weeks, while we worked to build new displays in our showroom.  Now that I'm back in the office, it's been such a relief to wear cute shoes and skirts again.  I'm just more comfortable dressed up...especially when there are several inches of added height involved :)

Slayer tee & plaid skirt, Feathers vintage; belt, UO; platforms, Corso Como

Yes, I'm still wearing a t-shirt today :)  I bought both of these at Feathers on the same day with no intention of ever wearing them together.  This morning, they looked so perfectly 70's next to each other in my closet that I had to do it!  I guess I still have The Runaways (movie) on the brain...

The Slayer tee definitely got some attention at work...guess I don't look like your typical Slayer fan?  Ha! 


P.S.  I'm in the process of revamping my Etsy shop, and will begin putting some of my old vintage clothes up for sale (probably this weekend).  I'll let you know when it's up!

Uncertainty & Tie-Dye

I have a long 2 weeks ahead of me.  I'm potentially up for a promotion at work, & waiting to hear back is excruciating.  In times like these, there's no better way to forget the stress than a messy tie-dye project!

I love dyeing fabric; it's like a grown-up version of dyeing Easter eggs.  So simple, but there are so many ways to manipulate the dye and create something really amazing...OR amusing, if you consider the crazy tie-dye skinny jeans I made a few years ago!  They were really fun, but were quickly retired to the "clothes to wear while doing laundry or chores" drawer.  It just goes to show that clothes don't last if they're too costumey.  Oh, annnd I should stop wearing things just because they're hilarious...

I think I've learned my lesson from that first attempt.  This time, I'm tie-dyeing a basic white button-up in just one color--a great terracotta/butterscotchy brown.  This is actually inspired by a cardi I saw on Sea of Shoes earlier last summer.  I loved the cardi version, but I wanted something more summery, to pair with shorts or tuck into a full skirt.

This is the top I brought from Old Navy:

A packet of trusty Dylon in Terracotta:

Yep, just me in my garage with a tarp, a bit of butcher paper, a Nalgene full of fabric dye, and a turkey baster.

 The shirt fabric is super thin, so it was really easy to twist sections into little knots and secure everything with rubber bands.  I started with a damp shirt fresh out of the washer, twisted it up, and then applied dye at frequent intervals for a little over an hour.

Finally, after a hosing off in the driveway, a quick rinse in the washer, and a complete air drying:

Perfect!

A lot of the fun in tie-dye comes from the uncertainty, I think.  You have no idea how it will turn out, and it's a total mess while you're doing it, and then you unroll it and it's perfect (unless you really f*ed it up of course!).  Hopefully in a few weeks, everything will be fine and I will wonder why I was so stressed.  And when that happens, maybe we can all go out for a drink, & I'll wear my new shirt!

Hitomi Nomura

Just a quick post!  It's been a horrible, stressful, overly busy month.  By the time I get to the weekend, I've been too exhausted to really enjoy it.  Hopefully the worst is over.  :)

This weekend I dropped into an Old Navy (a very rare occurrence!) and picked up a basic white button-up that I intend to tie-dye, and a cardigan(?!) that I actually really liked.  I'll do a post on the tie-dye soon.  It's been ages since I've been able to do any DIY, it will be such a relief to get back into it.

Anyway--I just had to share this amazing clip about Hitomi Nomura, owner of the Grimoire boutique in Japan.  It's on the long side (15 minutes) but was so inspiring especially during this particular moment of my life where I am wearing t-shirts and (shudder) athletic footwear more often than is ideal.





Well, back to the grind...have a good week friends!

Balikbayan

 

Ahh, the long-awaited Philippines post!  I originally had paragraphs & paragraphs about our trip but I think it's probably best to let the pictures do most of the talking :)

Every time I return to the Philippines, I get crazy ideas about skipping out on the return flight, building a nipa hut and living on the beach, living on kinilaw and the occasional coconut.  Unrealistic, yes...but I don't need much.  Just sunshine, water, some Filipino food and a chaotic entourage of relatives, I guess!

Arriving in Cagayan

The food was easily one of the best parts of our vacation.  Eating tree-ripened bananas, coconuts just pulled from the tree, or snapper that was swimming in the ocean 10 minutes ago really inspired me to be more conscious about eating more local/organic produce now that I'm home.  And I will grow a calamansi tree somehow!!  It is probably my favorite condiment other than banana ketchup.

(from vanityclinic.com)

Kinilaw malasugue...sort of ceviche-esque, but with swordfish and tabon-tabon!

Our daily breakfast: garlic rice, fried egg, longanisa, beef tapa...YUM!

LECHON :)

Fresh jackfruit

It's always so exciting to see all my aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins!  I really hope to be able to visit more often from now on.  And I definitely need to improve my Visaya...

My cousin Kat-kat

With Cecil & Fet-fet waiting for the ferry to Camiguin

Just a fraction of our enormous family :)  We're standing in front of the house my mom grew up in...

We spent some time in Bohol too...if only we could have stayed longer.  My parents stayed behind and visited Cebu for a few days.  Lucky...well, next time nalang!

Touring our backyard with my cousin Dodong