Never do something for the sake of becoming famous. -Phillip Lim

What I wore on Saturday: Billabong native-print cardigan, sheer top from Target, H&M shorts, thrifted native beaded necklace, Rough Justice boots

When the weather is gloomy out, it makes me want to do the cliche, such as drinking tea and curling up to a book or magazine. This past weekend, I finally had the opportunity to stop by Coffee by the Books in Pasadena. They're known for the coolest latte art. Unfortunately, while we were living here, we never ended up going! Once we stepped into the cafe, we were pleasantly surprised by a familiar face. Turns out one of our church friends started working here, and made us a beautiful flower:

At the counter, I recognized the "Paris" tea by Harney & Sons I tried when the Hubby saved me a teabag during his conference. I immediately fell in love with this tea company, so imagine my delight when I saw a stack of their pretty tea tins at the counter!! I ended up buying one container to bring home with me for these gloomy days.

On a happy note, I finally found the children's book I've been looking for! I remembered this book being read to our class when I was in 1st grade. The book was one of my faves and the illustrations always stuck with me. Sadly, I could not recollect the title. All I could remember were the images of dresses on paper being taped onto a wall. After some good ole googling last night, I found the name of the book: The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.

The story is about a Polish-American girl named Wanda who wears the same faded blue dress everyday to school. The wealthier girls make fun of her and so she tells them she has 100 dresses, all lined up in her closet. The girls continue to poke fun at her, not believing her claim. Wanda ends up leaving the school, due to all the bullying and social violence. In the end, one of her friends discovers that Wanda had entered into a dress design competition and in fact, did have 100 drawings of dresses, all lined up in her closet. Turns out she was telling the truth after all. Unfortunately, it took her leaving for the girls to discover this fact.

Such a simple, yet profound story. The illustrations by Louis Slobodkin, a well-known illustrator during the 40s-60s are also amazing, it makes me want to check out his other books.

And speaking of books...I don't know what it is about children's books, but I've always been more attracted to them than thick novels. Perhaps it's because I have the attention span of a goldfish and I am a visual person. I recall reading children's books up until middle school (fine, judge me). I had siblings who were much younger than me, so I would go with them into the children's section at the library and pick up a few myself. Of course I also enjoyed reading paperback novels, but it just isn't the same.

I remember joining our elementary school's Young Author's Fair competition every year, and given the opportunity to represent my class each time. I really enjoyed writing and illustrating my own stories. Unfortunately, I have stopped writing stories since the age of 11. One of my goals as a child was to become a children's book author and illustrator. When you're a child and you're not thinking about money or what makes sense as a career, you're the most honest with yourself. And these days, I find that I need to go back to that innocence to discover what it is that I'm truly passionate about.

I feel inspired to go to the library and sit in the children's section now : )