...to be jolly! Christmas is just days away and I feel like I'm walking in a daze of dazzling ornaments, twinkling lights and glittering tinsels. Everywhere I go, I am bombarded by displays of decked out Christmas trees and holiday streamers, brilliant and colorful under bright white lights. Every corner is a scene in itself. Scents of cinnamon and sugar and rich, sweet chocolate waft under my nose, and just a little longer, I might find myself inside a candy shop with bags full of sweets. And the nostalgic sound of classic Christmas music echo from a distance, recalling tender memories of our precious childhood. All this to say, I'm not ready for Christmas yet! I haven't wrapped any of my presents yet. I still need to sew on the eyes and nose of my fox scarves. I'm determined to knit until my hands can no longer move, stiff and clawlike. Who knows, you may find me resembling a zombie on Christmas day. Though I hope not. I want my face to be bright and cheerful, eyes sparkling with anticipation and excitement - just like those faces you see on TV.

Even as a child, I was always interested in astronomy. How my eyes would light up should they witness a shooting star streak across the dark night sky. Ephemeral and radiant. The thing that always gets me is that our galaxy is just one of billions in the vast universe. How many other habitable planets must there be? How many other lifeforms? How insignificant everything seems then. My life seems to matter little in the grand scheme of the universe. I'm just this tiny little human being living on a planet in one galaxy. And to think that our living sun is just one of billions in the Milky Way. Now times that by all the other galaxies out there and just how many stars are there out there? Way too many to count.

 They say there are two types of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Clearly, I am the former. With the holiday season putting me in a very festive mood, I find it all too easy to overindulge this time of the year. I'll reach for that extra helping of mac n cheese or slice of pizza, that extra piece of decadent truffle chocolate or delicious Hokkaido cheese tart. And with all that eating, I've come to rely on A-line dresses like this festive red/navy plaid number (worn last year here) to hide my food baby. 

Indeed, a silly fool I was. I was excited to do this shoot because it was finally cool enough to wear this mustard beret I knitted last week. I had left my home and scampered off into the park without bothering to check one very important thing: my camera battery. I happily set up the tripod, managed some test shots, and watched a couple of squirrels play in the trees. All was ready. I ran on over to my spot and posed a few times while the self-timer went off. Ran back to check the photos. "Not bad," I said to myself as I deleted all the fails. As soon as I returned from a second round of photos, I saw that awful blinking warning on the display that tells you the battery is low and can't take anymore pictures! So, these were all that I managed to take. It really was unfortunate because I was quite eager to practice different angles as I don't always want to depend on someone else to do it. So, let this be a lesson for us all. Don't forget to charge your battery and always check before you leave!

 Many things didn't work out this weekend. I was to wear this outfit to a nice dinner in honor of our 8 years together, but I didn't expect to get so violently ill. I had woken up early and ran off into the park to snap these photos all by myself. John was still asleep. I wanted to surprise him by getting all dolled up in this sweet dress and lovely coat, which I completely abandoned right after this shoot because the weather was exceedingly hot. So, dinner didn't happen. We were also supposed to get brunch on Sunday with our friends but had to cancel that too. Sad days.

Despite the ill fit, I liked the dress so much that I didn't want to return it. I don't know if it's just me but a lot of dresses that I consider "tea party" appropriate tend to have these nice delicate ruffle trims like this. Maybe it's the delicate nature of such tea parties in general. From the beautiful porcelain teapots and cups to the dainty sandwiches that are too pretty to eat. And the lovely, sweet pastries one eats. I don't think I'd feel right if I didn't wear something as equally elegant and endearing.

In terms of alterations, I've given myself two options: fix it or shrink it. As I'm only really capable of hemming, I always try to shrink it first.What I've come to depend on a lot of the times is the shrinkage that happens when I throw my clothes into the washer and dryer. Because I just toss everything into the machines (yes, even delicates!), I actually discovered by accident that rayon materials will shrink no matter what. If you haven't noticed, a lot of clothes these days are constructed from rayon. Viscose will shrink somewhat or quite a bit for me depending on the quality.  So, I tossed this dress into my pile of laundry, hoping it would shrink and it did! And now it fits perfectly as you can see in this post.







What I wore:
Dress: ASOS
Heels: vintage from Etsy
Bag: ASOS

 Looking at this skirt, you'd never know it was once a maxi skirt with awful, tacky looking frills at the hem. I had purchased it many years ago during a sale at H&M during the holidays. Not sure if any of you would recognize it now. Makes me kick myself for not doing a before picture, but you'll understand soon enough. I love a good sale (and you know I can't resist floral prints) so I figured I'd just cut off the frills and fix the hem myself.

 Well, I did cut off the hem, but it wasn't until recently that I got around to hemming it. By this time, much of the fabric had horrendous fraying (they looked like tassels) and I had to cut all that off. Maxi skirt no more! I honestly think knee-length skirts are very flattering for us shorties. And really, it didn't take very long to sew the hem. No more than 10 minutes max. I really don't know why I put it off for so long. Remind me to kick myself again. I could have been wearing it all this time!

 This outfit is from this past weekend. Lavender is my favorite color and lilac is a close second. Invariably, I am drawn to purple hues. Cooler tones in general. Never been a fan of red - aside from red lippies, but that's another matter altogether! I'd been searching many months for the perfect lavender floral maxi dress and lo-and-behold the most beautiful thing that ever crossed my eyes. I knew I'd never have any luck searching through for something like this at a department store (or I'm just lazy), and since I've always had good luck on Etsy, I found it. This was the one...the most perfect dress that ever existed, and I felt like it had been made just for me. Who cares if it once belonged to another and possibly as old as me? It is now mine and only mine. My precious... You already know, I'm never letting you go.

 These warm, balmy days have me wishing I was off in some Grecian island, enjoying the beautiful clear waters. While this dress that I purchased from Ross (yes, I shop there!)  has nothing to do with the country itself, the embroidered design does remind me of it. Essentially, if you notice, a lot of Greek inspired/styled dresses have some sort of embroidered trimming - albeit, many of them are often of gauzy or cotton white material. Of course, I've never traveled to Greece, so I have nothing to back this up. I am very interested in style/fashion and this is what I've noticed. I would dearly love to visit the country, but I heard it can get pretty hot during the summer. As you already know, summer isn't my favorite season. However, how could I possibly resist the beauty of Greece! If I should ever get to, I'd really love to taste authentic Greek cuisine.

 I enjoy wearing this vintage dress way too much. It's got gold accented zipped pockets. It's constructed of a very strong and soft polyester blend. I can easily get 5+ years more out of it. When I first saw it, however, I really thought it was baumwolle or a sort of corduroy. Anyway, I really enjoy blinding people with its bright Kelly Green shade. The color appears much more subdued in these photos, but it will definitely catch your eye if seen in person. It's one of the brightest article of clothing I own. I love to pair this dress with boots but I can't bear to stuff my feet into them this time of year!

 While I am not very fond of summer (and the scorching heat that it brings), I do think the evenings can be quite lovely for chasing the golden hour. The sun is still going strong, but its rays now cast a soft, warm glow throughout the park. It's comforting and gentle and surprises me how nice it can be. I find I only get this feeling when I'm out somewhere filled with nature - lush green grass, trees, lakes. I would love to be able to wake up and stroll through the forest anytime I want. Now if only I could step through my wardrobe into a magical land called...!

 We had originally planned to drive down to San Diego for Phil’s BBQ and visit the Flower Fields along the way. However, I wanted to see the flowers underneath bright, lovely sunshine and that was not going to happen. We woke up on Saturday to the loud thunder of rain pounding on the roof over our heads. I checked the forecast just in case and yep, 100% chance of rain and cloud cover. That vision of me standing in the fields happy smiling as the sun beat down on me was not going to happen. So, ended our plans for that Saturday.

No matter where I go or look, I am greeted by the vibrant fuchsia of bougainvillea blooming all over the city. Undeniably, spring is in full bloom. And like bees, I was mesmerized by this wall by the train tracks, which I initially had scouted for this photo set. I quickly abandoned the tracks as soon as my eyes laid on this wall bursting with blooms and color. Besides, I was too much of a scaredy cat to stand on the tracks anyway. Perhaps, I'll revisit this place with the cliche train track pictures in mind.

I bought this vintage child's coat on Etsy last winter. I thought it was the sweetest find. I love the tweed pattern and the warm tan, brown, and cream interlacing in perfect harmony. The buttons have a horse head on it and the inside is this bright orange quilted material. It keeps me warm - enough for California chill! I love it to bits!

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What I wore:

Coat: vintage (Etsy)

Top: mall boutique

Skirt: H&M

Oxfords: Miz Mooz

Photos: John & me