Thursday, April 14, 2011

Material Girl

accessories
Anyone who knows me, knows my weakness for accessories, especially handbags & shoes. This bag in particular, holds sentimental value to me. It has gotten to the point where it was the first thing I grabbed when there was a fire next to our old condo complex. Sad, I know. But anyway, it was purchased by my wonderful Hubby on our first trip to Paris in 2009.

I remember walking into the Longchamp store to see the popular le pliage bags, and fell in love with this buttery soft doctor-style satchel. The price was beyond my range, so I admired it for a bit and handed it back to the sales lady. I was on the search for a classic bag from Paris, since that seems to be the frivolous thing to do when one visits Paris- that and I had sold an older bag I previously owned and wanted to replace it with something I would love for life. And Chanel bag was definitely out of the picture, due to their astounding price-tags.

On our last day in Paris, we stepped into Galeries Lafayette (a huge department store) and ended up browsing for a couple hours. They had nearly every hand-bag label imaginable, which didn't help my indecisiveness. I narrowed my selection down to 3 classic black leather bags. A couple were on sale and the third one (suggested by my Hubby) was the same bag I found at the Longchamp store. I steered towards the sale bag, since it seemed most practical, but in the end, the Hubby snagged the impractical bag out of my hands and told me he wanted to purchase it for me. If you know my husband, he is the most financially-savvy guy out there, which is why he also does it for a living. We record every receipt, down to the last penny, to ensure we stay within our "budget." Soo, as superficial as it may seem, I was on the verge of tears when he made the selection for me, saying something along the lines of, "How often can you come to Paris and select a bag? I want to buy you one you'll love and carry for life." After thinking about it some more (and sweating bullets from thinking about how impractical it was to buy a fancy bag), I let him show me love in the most superficial but still deeply profound way.

To this day, I keep the bag in its original dustbag and take it out occasionally, in order to savor its special aura.
Whaat?
nude-brown
BCBG nude-pink peasant blouse, Bongo striped denim vest, Zara pants, Dolce Vita for Target espadrille wedges, Longchamp doctor satchel, Forever 21 ring, vintage bracelets, mens Seiko watch, and Mocha- my other love
Gypsy Den lunch
Had lunch with a friend today at Gypsy Den at the Lab in Costa Mesa. This place always reminds me of I Dream of Genie- the old show I used to watch as a kid (re-runs, of course!). Their soy chai latte was perfect on a overcast day in not-so-sunny SoCal, and being in this retro-esq cafe made me feel as though I were in another time period.

Below are some older photos that I was too lazy to post. I've gotten some good mileage out of my Zara pants so far!
yellow
Green clutch

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Tilt a whirl.

maxidress1
maxidress3
maxidress2
French Connection maxidress, gold kimono-style cardigan from Urban Outfitters, vintage Chanel bag, bracelet/watch from Macy*s, DIY leather bow red pumps
red shoes
watch
wedding buffet
We went to the Hubby's co-worker's wedding last Saturday in Alhambra for a brunch reception, the first of its kind we've ever attended. As you can tell, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. The photos above were taken on the way home in a parking lot after going to Trader Joe's- super glamorous, I know.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Sunshine after the rain.

Polka dots
Feathers
An old American Eagle button up, Gap belt, jersey corset tank from Nordstrom, Cotton On polka dot shorts, Dr. Scholls floral wedges, mens Seiko watch, Target feather earrings, BR feather necklace, gray patent leather italian bag.

It's a blessing when you don't have to go to work on a beautiful sunny day. Went to Old Town Orange a couple days ago, for some antique window-shopping and fooding. I love the nostalgic feeling you get from this place, there are many mom & pop shops and cafes, unlike what Old Town Pasadena is turning into...
Cupcakery
We randomly came across The Perfect Circle Cupcakery, which was featured in Food Network's Cupcake Wars. The decor was supercute, and look who they put up on the wall? The store actually reminded me of our house, lol. We ended up trying the 24 Karat cupcake and Banana pecan cupcake, which were both on the show. My fave was the Banana cupcake, tasted like homemade banana bread topped with cream cheese frosting, pecans + drizzled with caramel, delicious.
Tiles
The Winner.
24 Karat cupcake!
Lavender
Bruxie
We found this place on Yelp, and I'm still thinking about their light and crispy waffle sandwich...we should've ordered more.
Waffle sandwich
Prosciutto + gruyere waffle sandwich, can't go wrong with this one.
Liege waffle
The "Liege" waffle was a bit dry for me, but their Belgian chocolate sauce was yummy.
Yes, more macarons.
Spotted: Macarons on my side of town?? Now I know where to go to satisfy my macaron cravings- I sound like a pregnant woman, I'm not though...promise (Paris In a Cup).