Thinker

Our next day in Paris was a mish mosh of adventures. It started off with my brother and I taking baby E to get our morning coffee and croissant. A tradition I'm trying to keep alive while back in the states and desperately wishing I was still in Paris. Note to Central Market: please never be out of croissants again...I'm developing a habit. Thank you. Next the whole family went to Napoleon's tomb. I'm telling you, this was one elaborate grave site. Do you think he was compensating for anything? Next we took a short walk to the Rodin museum, the only museum we went to on this trip. I wasn't about to wait in that crazy long line at the Louvre. This was definitely worth the trip. Walking around the garden was really peaceful and it wasn't very crowded. My kind of way to experience and enjoy the art. The day finished off with us wandering aimlessly around Paris stopping at Cafes and Patisseries along the way. One can't just go into one Patisserie there are too many goodies to choose from!

Outfit

Top: Juicy Couture black long sleeve (not pictured), Banana Republic sweater (similar here)

Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)

Boots: Steve Madden

Jewelry: Betsey Johnson heart earrings, Rose ring from Cuffs, vintage class ring

Glasses: Penguin

Touring London

Two of the days in London we did the typical double decker sightseeing tour bus. I was a little skeptical because I didn't want to scream out to everyone, "Look at me, I'm a tourist!" But it was such a great idea. I got views of landmarks I wouldn't normally have been able to see and we were able to hit every major sightseeing location. We took mental note of places we wanted to stop off and see, like the Tower of London, and on our second day took the bus to these locations.

I think the Tower of London was up there on my list of amazing places to see, partly because the crown jewels are there. Unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures, but trust me when I say the whole exhibit was absolutely amazing. Seeing all the jewels, even ones that were from the 1800s, that were still intact was an incredible sight. I swear, the history from London is just mind blowing. It makes me realize how young of a country the US is.

Outfit
Top: J.Crew
Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)
Scarf: Burberry (thanks Uncle M!)
Jacket: Native Fox
Shoes: Vince Camuto
Jewelry: Tiffany Bead earrings, Marc Jacobs ring, vintage class ring
Purse: Louis Vuitton
 

Freestyle

When I was asked to partner with Coca-Cola Freestyle I almost turned it down. Truth is, I'm not a soda drinker. I gave it up for Lent a few years back and never picked the habit back up. Great decision. I decided to check out the website nonetheless and see what it was all about. Couldn't hurt, right? To my surprise there wasn't just soda. There were Powerade, Dasani, Hi-C, and Minute Maid options. You can also just get plain water if that's what you're feeling. I decided to be adventurous and try the Dasani sensations, which I didn't even know existed. It's Dasani water, but sparkling, genius! I got the Dasani Sensations lemon flavor and it reminded me of when I used to mix Minute Maid lemonade with a splash of sprite to give it a little fizz. Brings me back to my childhood days...

The new Freestyle machine is more than I had expected it to be. Get ready to spend some time playing around with all of your options and mixing your own flavors. Check out the website here to see where the nearest location is. Special thanks to the people at Pei Wei Asian Diner for letting us take pictures in their restaurant.

 

Outfit: 

Top: Forever 21 spaghetti, Thrift store dog tee

Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)

Shoes: Aldo

Belt: J.Crew

Jewelry: J.Crew Elephant bracelet, J.Crew classic pave link bracelet, BCBG "my bad" bracelet, bracelet from Greece, vintage name necklace, BCBG ring

Note: This is a sponsored post. All reviews and opinions are my own

Houston Blogger Symposium

This past weekend I attended the Houston Blogger Symposium put on by the amazing Megan from Greetings from Texas. The first night was spent at Langford Market getting to know all my fellow bloggers.




The amazing Haley from Style Sound




Here I am with Trang from Benjamin and Trang, Christina of Sunchild clothing, and her friend modeling one of their amazing dresses.





I am deep in thought while listening to the many speakers on the panels. I learned so much about blogging, sponsorship, and PR. I was so inspired after the symposium, it was awesome!!



Here are all of our speakers and sponsors...let me see if I can get them all in. There was Kelly and Brandi from Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno, Julianne Agno from Francesca's, Meg Jones from Reward Style, Megan from Greetings from Texas, Kirsten from Triple Max Tons, Katy Atlas from Sugarlaws, Lisa O'Neill PR extraordinaire, Alicia DiRago from Dismount Creative, Davina Hirsch from Langford Market, and Kristina Braly from Pretty Shiny Sparkly. Phew that was a mouthful!



The sponsor panel



The blogger panel





The two lovely ladies that put on the whole event...Thank you so much girls! I can't wait to see what you put together for next year!!


All photos are courtesy of the lovely Paige from Paige Budde Photography. Thanks so much for taking amazing photos of the event!

Outfit

(night one)

Dress: Bebe (old)

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (not pictured)

Jewelry: vintage name necklace, vintage clown necklace, vintage Greek princess necklace, wrap bracelet from Greece, rope bracelet from Target, vintage class ring

Clutch: Louis Vuitton

(day two)

Top: Joie, spaghetti from Wet Seal

Pants: BCBG similar here and here

Shoes: BCBG

Belt: Target

Jewelry: Stella & Dot, gifted bangles, DIY bracelet

Glasses: Penguin

FNO

FNO was a blast! I attended the ShopGirl Style Lounge at the Galleria last night and had a great time. I was dolled up with some lashes from the Edward Sanchez Vanity Lounge while enjoying a delicious cupcake by Sweetbatter. I mingled, sipped on wine, danced a little and was able to get a photo with the amazing girls on stilts. I thought they were just for our lounge, but no, I saw them wandering around all parts of the Galleria. Amazing!! I then popped over to J.Crew for a little guilty pleasure shopping and some mini red velvet cupcakes, yum! I ended my night with another purchase from Nordstrom, but that will be a later post. I had such a blast and I can't wait for next year's FNO!

Me and Joy Sewing

Outfit

Top: Helmut Lang

Skirt: Juicy Couture

Shoes: Just Cavalli by Roberto Cavalli

Jewelry: vintage gold bracelet, vintage class ring from my Grandma, BCBG ring

Purse: DIY

Ladies Who Brunch

I'm super excited for FNO tonight. I'll be heading to the Galleria supporting my friend Joy at her ShopGirl Style Lounge. If you're in the Houston area come check out her event in front of Louis Vuitton and say hi!

Here are a few photos of my day brunching at the harbor and the beach from my trip home. I was able to spend time with my good friends drinking bottomless champagne at the harbor then we head over to Laguna Beach to soak up some sun.

I picked up this dress at the sample sale I told you about in my previous post here. It was perfect to pair with this amazing Stella and Dot statement necklace, thank you Jas for letting me borrow it!

Outfit

Dress: Blackbird Betty

Shoes: Chinese Laundry (old)

Jewelry: Stella & Dot necklace, Target bracelet, Tiffany bead earrings, Tiffany heart ring, vintage elephant ring borrowed from mom's closet

Sunglasses: Chanel

Home sweet home

Sorry for my lack of posts lately, I've been traveling for the past 2 weeks and it's been hectic to say the least. I was finally able to go back home to Cali for a bit and I fell in love all over again. I hadn't been back home in a year (woo hoo to living in Texas for a year already!) and it was so good to see friends and family. The trip was jam packed with going to familiar places and going to places I don't normally travel, like LA. This outfit was what I wore to LA for the day to go shopping with my parents. We hit up this amazing sample sale where I got some amazing purchases, but more on that later. The first day was spent driving up to LA then walking to Little Tokyo for dinner. Take that hotel concierge that said it was too far a walk! My parents and I wandered for what seemed like ages trying to all agree on a restaurant but we finally ended up at the most amazing sushi place. The fist was so fresh, it was incredible! My favorite part was the bell at each table to ring for service...needless to say I got a little "ringer" happy. That night we decided to stay at our hotel and have a few drinks, which led to a few more, which led to dancing. Those pictures I'm keeping under wraps or possibly for potential blackmail purposes for my dad later! Overall the trip to LA was so fun and I can't wait to go back for another sample sale!

Side note: I know I just wore this dress recently, but I seriously love it! It's super soft and flowy which is perfect for the weather in the OC. It's also perfect for snapping a few pics in my backyard before heading up to LA!

 

Thanks to my mom for taking these great pictures

Outfit

Dress: c/o Sugarlips  

Shoes: Sam Edelman

Glasses: Penguin The Gondorff

Jewelry: BCBG "My Bad" Bracelet, Vintage rings borrowed from my mom