Skirt: hand me down, Shirt: L.A. ( $5!!!), Gold Bracelets: Mother's, Pink Wire Bracelet: Handmade, Yellow Bag: Ross, Necklace: Forever21

                     At last! Now that I have managed to finish my first year of high school unscathed, I am free to enjoy the joys of summer vacation. I fantasized about this freedom since Day One of school. Too bad I have HOMEWORK. Seriously, guys, this free time is meant to be spent by endless couch lounging not by reading    A Tale of Two Cities and memorizing the periodic table. Anyways, I have taken advantage of my school-less situation by DIY-ing the heck out of my room. Idle hands do not exist in my household. In fact, I have taken a fancy to making my own bracelets out of wire ( because EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE NOWADAYS). However, despite my lack of money, I have come across the cutest bags, and have burrowed myself further into a pool of debt. At this rate, I will be cleaning my house's toilet bowls for the rest of eternity.
                     Moving past my economic deficiency...... The shirt shown above is so awesome and bright, that even my camera can't quite capture its radiant essence. It is not an ordinary pink. I guess it could be described as Barbie Pink, but I am not sure if Barbie's pink can also be spotted from streets away. With this shirt, my mom no longer has to worry about my whereabouts. All she has to do is poke her head out the window and squint to see me (' cause the shirt is too bright for human eyes).
                      I made a mini tutorial on how to make the Wire + Spray Paint bracelets, and if anyone's interested, I will post it. (Most likely though, I'll post it anyways ♥)

short skirt, long jacket

Coat: Target, Girl's Section, Shoes: flea market, Skirt&Shirt&Soclk: Forever 21, Bag: downtown L.A., headband & bracelets:found around the house.

                     After a loooooooooong absence from the world wide web, I have returned. I wasn't hiding out in my lair planning to conquer the world or anything like that. Even better, I was busy homeworking life up.

           

               Let's have a moment of silence,  ladies and gentlemen, to appreciate the magnificence that is the Girl's section at Target. Now let's have a round of applause for the Sale section AND the Girl's Sale section! I found the coolest orangish/pinkish lightweight coat there last December, and, ever since, I've worn it at least once a week.  It's huge and bright and beautiful and I have proposed marriage to it at least twice now. I used to curse my (lack of) height, but now I embrace it because if I weren't so damn short, this baby wouldn't have fit me. The boy's section is great for soft, striped shirts, but the girl's section has the cute coats.

               Lately, I've been reading like an insomniac librarian, and making playlists like a hyperactive DJ. The book  "Get Well Soon" by Julie Harper used to be one of my favorite books to ignore my homework with. Anyways, I have been listening to Cake's "Short Skirt/ Long Jacket" nonstop ever since I came across this playlist. Somehow, in the depths of my brain, one neuron crossed another and BAM! an outfit was born. I stole the yellow/ black color scheme from the book cover, but I think I might have taken the song a bit too literal. I wore "shoes that cut" , "fingernails that shine", and a "short skirt and a loooong jacket". Normally, I don't put much thought into what I wear, but on occasions like this one, I dress according to what I read or what I listen to or how lazy I feel. Good thing I wasn't listening to Lady Marmalade, though. Otherwise, my mother would have hung me for strutting out of the house with only my bustier and feather boa on.

winter in hotel california

Triangle cut-out shirt: mom's

shorts: l.a. (but the tag reads "topshop". oh yeahhhh) 5$ for expensive shorts

metal belt: no idea

shoes: christmas gift

"studded" bag: DIY 

                  For a small while, winter was not winter. The sun was out and the days were in the 85 degree range, so life was great. The birds chirped, and I would wipe away the sweat collecting atop of my brow.  Getting away with wearing short shorts and even shorter dress in the middle of "winter" had never been easier. Now, winter has come back with a terrible, unstoppable vengeance. These new chilly mornings and nights feel too cold to belong to us. It's as if we stole them right from underneath a penguin in the Arctic. California might not be the place that first comes to mind when thinking of ferocious winters, but, hey, I was loving the way the sun would keep me cozy all day long. I guess it's a good thing I bought so many coats and scarves and gloves for this winter. At least now I have a chance to keep warm and look as cute as one can look in a furry mustard coat.
                 This is basically an outfit-ified ode to those rare, but appreciated, moments where I didn't really have to worry about getting pneumonia or getting my legs amputated due to Very Cold Weather. In a way, wearing colors like orange and green-y blue makes me feel vibrant with warmth, but even the warmth these colors metaphorically represent is not enough to substitute the bundle of blankets I can't imagine life without. Guess I'll just have to pretend that it is not too cold outside for skirts and bare the cold with my scarves.

a tricolor trek

elephant bracelet: gift made by my mom

shirt & the most amazing fringe vest: F21

cute little black shoes: christmas gift

belt & shorts: thrift store

scarf: citywear?

         There is some kind of happiness that only children's books can bring. It is a happiness that allows you to run around barefooted in the mud. It's the happy feeling you get when believing in stories about dangerous adventures and unstoppable villains. A feeling so lovely to feel, yet so easy to let go of. Growing up, I think we sort of put that feeling away in some cobwebbed drawer, but it always escapes. We used to never think twice about acting silly or dressing funky or rolling in the grass. We followed our heart, instead of thinking of logic. Even though sometimes the last thing we want to be though as is children, we will always be children. Even after I graduate high school, go to university and get a job, I'll probably still read children's books and watch Lizzie McGuire.  I'll jump around like the little monster I once was and still am. When I am 64, I'll dress like a loon and say tongue twisters and join the adventures I always wished to be in.

          I've begun to read the Mysterious Benedict Society series, a book series about a group of 4 intelligent/clever children who, you know, sorta save the world. I think I might be a wee bit out of the age group this books where written for, but the kids are just so incredibly kickass that they inspire me to be a little badass myself. At their age, I was probably too busy obsessing over Troy Bolton's body. I might have not being as awesome as them, but who's to say that knowing ALL of the High School Musical song lyrics isn't just as cool?

          I found the fringed vest in a clearance pile in forever 21, and I love it so soo much. I've never been much of a vest-ial woman, but it is super cute. When I make a sudden turn, the fringe goes wild, and if I decide to start running, the fringe just sways along. Plus, it makes me feel like a good ol' cowgirl from the good ol' west. It's goofy clothing like this that just make me smile. Looking like I was dressed by a looney kid makes my day.

Grooving with some energy

dress & belt: f21

blue loafers/ cheetah bootays: l.a.

cube bag: thrifted

scarf: sister's (italy)

metal belt: a gift from nana

                    As a girl who enjoys taking a challenge and long walks on the beach, I decided to try out something that I'd mentally put on my shitlist before: scarfs. Trust me, I didn't hate this accesory 'cause "it's sooooo trendy". I hated scarves because I felt like the sluggiest of turtles in them, but oh my goodness, do you know how WARM & COZY they can be? I have not the slightest idea how my neck has survived the cold weather without these colorful babies. Since I am an über intelligent human being, I wore this dress in the windiest, frostbittiest day of the week; however, this trusty scarf saved my poor neck from being snapped of like a frozen twig. I still think I look like a neckless beast, but I had so much fun playing around with the scarf that they've begun to grow on me.Not only did I use it to keep my neck all comfy, my friends and I also snuggled under it during a freezing bus ride. Laid out, the colorful babe resembles more a personal blanket than a scarf; I'll never suffer a winter again. Did you know you can practically create anything with a big enough scarf? Wrap dress, skirt, bag, cape? You got it!

                   Moving on from the scarf-related goodies, I am enjoying my devotion to the world of color. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), my closet is quite literally 7/12 black, but this only motivates me to integrate color into my daily life even more. My fingers are itching to try to sew a transparent orange bag that hasn't escaped my mind since summer. This is surprising because I've been under a "lyf sucks, let's watch NCIS and Bones instead" spell lately, but I am glad to have the creativity hunger back in my system. As a result of my color crave, I spent last night drawing and watching Horton Hears a Who. Ohmygoodness, the color and furriness of the movie has put me in a beautiful speck of a trance. So I drew and drew until I realized I was just drawing a bunch of rainbow girls with cotton candy for hair. I think I've watched too much movies, Marie Antoinette and Horton Hears a Who have left a delightful dent in the right-side of my brain. Or Maybe my subconcious is trying to tell me to dye my hair completely blue and style into something big enough to smuggle goods under?

If you wish for a surpirse that may or may not cause you to groove along, please press play.

*the background city picture is from National Geographic November 2002

So good, so good, I got you

bracelets & ring: bedroom floor,

skirt: thrifted,

belt: sister's,

shirt: f21

                     Despite the lowering temperatures and cloudy skies, I seek the beauty of color everywhere. It seems as if I should be wrapped in layers of gray and black, but my mind craves a shot at the color wheel. I didn't use to see colors as a thing to embrace, yet lately all I want to do is find the perfect orange bag. Or perfect lime green loafers. Or colorful anything. Seriously, all I want is some color in my life. I am so used to dressing like an amateur spy all the time, and even though I am too attached to black to completely rule it out of my life, I decided that I will give dressing like a loon a go. Plus, has anybody noticed that when you wear bright-ass colors you are kind of forced to feeel happier? Fer real, it is impossible to frown if you are wearing chartreuse shorts or a neon watch. By looking at upbeat colors, you are filled with the giddyness normally caused by dancing in your undies to this. 

                    Is there a job where you can spend your days are surrounded by funky colors? Maybe I should be a nail polish technician. Or a pink llama-unicorn?

                   

In your pants

 Look at the tiny metal horse. I was never one to ride horses (imagine short me falling off of those moving, pooping skycrapers they call horses), but this creature and its weird dog tail had me at $1.50.

An oversized, black hat can make anybody feel like Lydia Deetz, which is why I practiced my faux-photographical poses.

Knitted shirt: swap meet

Old lady pants: thrift store

Holographic eye glasses: downtown l.a.

Belt and adorable horse knecklace: forever 21

               The sensation of pants covering my legs has become foreign to me. Wearing skirts and shorts even during the most insufferable weather has been my own little (dumb) rebellion for so long that people are genuinely surprised when I wear pants. I only have around 2 pairs of pants that I really like wearing, and those    have been worn for so long that their death is not too far away. You know what that means? I must devote my days to finding (or creating) pants that will be so awesome I will want to wear them from sleep to school to weddings and Hollywood parties other casual occasions. Yep, they will be THAT awesome. Are leather pants too cool? 

               In the probable case of a failed mission, I will just have to get used to a future full of funky tights and flowing skirts, which, to tell you the truth, sounds fine by me. I have no problem living the bare-legged life, but if I do end up with one marvelous pair, I'll probably throw a one-woman celebration party in my room.

Galileo, Figaro, Magnificoooo

Am I the only one who wishes to send love letters to Freddie Mercury and send cat clocks to him?

Skirt: crudely sewn by me

Butterfly shirt: Forever 21

Star Wars Belt: thrifted

Various Braceletd: found in bedroom floor

                  There's two things life (among many others) that I am obsessed with: Freddie Mercury and geeky accesories/clothing. The Star Wars belt, as seen previously on other posts, is just the beginning to my ever-growing collection of "nerdy" objects in my life. If I see something remotely geeky and adorable ( AND CHEAP) at the thrift store, I fall in love with it and tell it a bedtime story. Well, maybe not to that extent, but let's just say I become quite attached to it. So attached in fact that it is possible that I wear the object in question every weekend until it breaks. Yeah, my beloved belt broke and now I am here to mourn it. But that's a thing of the past, let's focus on the true point to this belated post: Freddie Mercury, the man of my dreams.

                  Freddie's birthday was some 2 weeks ago, and I had a post all planned out, but never got around to posting it,because, to put it bluntly, it sucked. It didn't really express what I've been wanting to write about him, and it bothered me because that often happens in my post. My mind comes up with the most brilliant thoughts and phrases, but, once my fingers hit the keyboard, my sentences resemble the ones an overcaffeinated kindergardner might come up with. Basically, what I wanted to say is Freddie is a huge inspiration to me and I seriosuly love the man. No need for well-structured sentences or big words to express how much inspiration I draw from him and his tight-one suits.

If I murder my alarm clock, will I get put into a time prison?

 An accurate picture of how I look most days before (and during) school.

Let's pretend I actually look like some eccentric model instead of the pubescent little weirdo that I am.

Loong Shirt: Diy-ed by me

Star Wars Belt: Thrift Store (Where else?)

Awesome T-Strap Flats: downtown l.a.

Freaky Drunk glasses: Dollar tree

Clock bag: Stupidiotic

                 Have you ever woken up in the wee hours of the morn with a huge desire to go on a DIY rampage? The other morning, I decided that spending my morning time destroying a gigantic shirt was more productive than digging in the pile of clothes for an hour or so. Plus, I felt like being a lazy student that day, and had no energy to look for something more "put-together". (I also happen to immensely love cutting up enormous men shirts.) It's quite hard to see from the pictures, but the shirt's basically got a square cut-out down the front with sheer fabric covering it and squared studs lining its pocket (the shirt has a pocket, isn't that dandy?)
                   . Do any of you have those lazy days where all you want to do is stay at home and just read or do something extremely boring? Now that I am back in school, I wish I'd slept some more during the vacations. I think I hate mornings more than ever. At least there's crack of dawn doses of diy-ing to keep me alive....

a jolly green hobbit

bag: Aldo's tag? sister's. only used for photographic purposes 

Shirt: l.a

shorts: thrift store

belt: beautiful present from nana

bracelets: borrowed

rings: F21 & belt loop

                     Belts, what a beautiful creation, nein? According to the ever trusty Wikipedia page, the belt's primary purpose was for decorative reasons. Cinching of the waist was very hip even back in the military days of the first World War. They served as a fashion statement AND were useful as well. Exactly the same reason  I have been using the chained, golden belt almost every day for the past three weeks. My beautilful nana found it while thrifting, but, once she saw my gleaming eyes gaze longingly at it, she gifted it to me. Family, is by far, one of the best things in life. Especially if said family members enjoy thrifting as much as you do. I am a devoted belt-lover, and thoroughly enjoy discovering 1 dollar, glitterful ones. Any kind of belt is the best, especially those bottle-cap ones the hippies in the park sell.

                        I hadn't realized how festive and Christmas-y I looked until one of my friends pointed out the jolly factor of my outfit. Seriously, I didn't trealize how green this "teal" shirt actually is, but that's allright cause it matches my hair. And who doesn't love looking absolutely merry in the middle of summer?