books – The Big Hair Diaries

Band-Aid of Brothers: Brights vs. Pastels, the Battle

Published on April 15, 2021 by hellosamanthadearLeave a comment

I’ve mentioned it before on my blog, but to any new readers, Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose is one of my favorite books ever!! I first read it in high school as a freshman. Growing up without any kind of father figure/male role model around, this book was gold in my eyes; here were these men who were courageous enough to voluntarily parachute out of airplanes and straight into combat zones in World War II. I was HOOKED.

I carried the book in my backpack as a freshman in high school. My name’s written in it, as I wanted to ensure that in case I ever misplaced it at school, it’d find its way back to me in the lost-and-found. By now, the pages are yellowed and there’s a section where the spine of the book is a little cracked. But I’ll never replace it for a newer copy! It has too much sentimental value.

No lie, I still use these guys as inspiration for my own personal endurance. Such as, breaking into my new platform Mary Jane’s. I know I know…that’s no comparison to stuff that happened in WWII!!! But hear me out first. I went for a long walk in my new shoes recently, and dang, I really blistered up my feet. The trek back to my car was tough, but I kept telling myself, Men parachuted out of airplanes while bullets were firing at them from the ground!!! Men stormed the beaches of Normandy, while met by a hail of gunfire! You can handle the pain! You can slap a band-aid on all your blisters when you get home! Go go go!

So yeah, true story folks…that’s how I trek through the little uncomfortable things…and HEY! I did a photoshoot for my book because it’s pretty. 💕

And now for the battle. Okay, it’s not really a battle at all, so I’m sorry for the huge letdown, but I wanted there to be a nice flow to my blog title. One day this week I wore a bright outfit, and another day, soft pastels! I really can’t choose between the two because I love both brights and pastels. They’re both cool in their own ways, ya know? 😎

Flower brooch by the one…the only…THE TOTE TROVE!

I wore these cat hair clips that I made myself with the pastel outfit (they are kind of hard to see in the photos). 💖 Both heart rings in this post are made by me and available in my Etsy shop!

Also, any of y’all remember BEAR IN THE BIG BLUE HOUSE? That’s where my bear is from; I totally loved that show as a kid. Yep, I still sleep with the bear on my bed!

See ya next time!!! 🐱

One for the Books; Wearing a Cool Apron

Published on January 9, 2021 by hellosamanthadear10 Comments

✨ Happy start of the new year! ✨

I love, love, love my new apron (a vintage find!), and it’s actually not a kitchen apron. It’s an accessory to an old USSR school uniform, in which a black apron was commonly worn over the standard brown dress. And now I styled it in my own fun way, with a floral pin from The Tote Trove! 😄

I reeeeally do love hunting for vintage items and giving them a new life!

I carefully planned out what I want to read for the year, and it caused me to go to Barnes & Noble for the first time since before the pandemic. I was soooooooooooo freaking excited to go!!!! I even took a picture of the store I was so happy, LOL. For me, knowledge is a girl’s best friend, so I love bookstores. 😎💕

My first read of the year – I know, I know, I’m pretty much obsessed with this man. 😍 I just really admire him.

I’m happy with my book line-up for this year!!! I want to learn about the early beginnings and formation of the United States, hence the three books on the right. 🇺🇸❤️ And of course, I needed a WWII book. 😋 Y’all just knew one would be a war book!

See ya next time!! 📚☕️

Cake Pop Magic, a Prairie Blouse and a Glimpse of Graphic Design from the DPRK

Published on October 6, 2020 by hellosamanthadear10 Comments

Have you seen the new Starbucks commercial where the lady touches a hologram-like screen in the air and takes out a pink cake pop from it to go along with her drink, and then smiles before carrying on with her day??? I feel that commercial in my soul. I got this cake pop for free with my Starbucks Rewards, to go with my iced mocha. 😉 I actually had forgotten how yummy these are, and when I took that first bite, I thought: I FEEL LIKE THAT LADY. (Starbucks, your marketing is working like magic!) ✨💜

Recently, I modified another blouse I own, and with the added lace it has a prairie look to it now. I’m really happy with the final outcome! I love the mix of really feminine pieces (the blouse) with a darker accessory (the choker).

On Sunday evening, I found myself flipping through a photo book called Made in North Korea: Graphics From Everyday Life in the DPRK by Nicholas Bonner. This is definitely one of the most interesting books I own, I can honestly say! It’s not every day one gets to see what graphic design/product design is like in this mysterious country, or get a look at North Korean propaganda.

Me being in the graphic design field, I was highly fascinated by this book, and there’s also the side of me that is fascinated by countries shrouded in mystery. Another example are the countries that were previously part of the Eastern bloc (my next blog post will be dedicated to this very topic, as I’m patiently waiting for a vintage garment to arrive in the mail that…*hint*…has to do with the Eastern bloc!)

The massive history nerd that I am, I found myself wondering as I flipped through the pages, whether there will ever be a chance that North and South Korea will someday reunite, like when East and West Germany reunited in 1990?

Here’s a look at just a few photos featured in the book – some are postcards, posters, product labels and stationary. I thought it’d make for a great blog post, since this is not something most of us will ever get to see…

See ya next time!!

Feel the Heat!

Published on June 6, 2019 by hellosamanthadear16 Comments

Happy beginning of June!! ❤️

The heat is on in good ol’ central California (in fact, it hit 100 degrees today and the party got started by there being a three-hour-long power outage across parts of the city. Heat-related electricity issues, which tend to happen when we hit the triple digits here!)

But I didn’t mind. It was quite the beautiful day (I love the heat) and I had iced coffee this morning and then meandered over to my favorite organic market and ate a refreshing salad on the patio, watching the towering, puffy clouds off in the distance over the mountains. 💜

With the heat, I thought it was a great time to finally wear this cute, handmade off-the-shoulder top I bought at She’s a Mermaid Cat over on Etsy. I bought it months ago but at the time it was too cold to wear. It made its debut today, and I looooooooooove it!

Along with my vintage floral skirt, I think it turned out to be a super cool outfit, with the ladybugs sealing the deal!!

In other news, I reached my goal of finishing D-Day by actual D-Day, June 6th!!! It was an amazingly detailed book that I learned so much from. I had no idea all that was involved: the events leading up to it, the training involved, reading the stories from the veterans who were actually there to experience it. 💜

And now? I’m going to re-read Band of Brothers. Because it made me want to read that one again, on a related note!

See ya next time!!

Meeting a Peacock, a Tea Party for One and D-Day Thoughts

Published on April 29, 2019 by hellosamanthadear9 Comments

Hi!! As you can see, my blog post title doesn’t lie. Featured here is me with a random peacock that was hanging out in the shade at Casa de Fruta in Hollister, CA earlier today. 😀

My friend and I went for a drive this morning to have coffee in Modesto, then spontaneously decided to drive to Casa de Fruta. ❤️

💕 I paired the outfit with my pink heart barrettes, which I find myself wearing quite often. 💕

Today was really exciting, going for an out of town trip for the day! This past week was super quiet, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The greatest part was that my sister and I have been going for walks together (she uses a walker, so getting exercise helps her build muscle). It’s good for me too because it’s additional exercise, apart from my regular workout routine I do at home in the later evening. 😀

I went for my favorite tea at Teazers on Tuesday and Friday evening: tiger spice chai. Friday night, the shopping center its located in was bustling with activity; apparently, a new movie called Avengers came out. There were so many people everywhere, but not inside Teazers. I had the back seating area practically to myself for the longest time, while I read the above book and watched people go by next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s lovely because I go in the early evening, and the sun slowly starts to lower in the western sky and casts a pretty golden glow onto everything on my table.

I’m reading D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose. I have waited SO LONG to start this!!!! I finally finished The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, which took me waaaaay less time to finish than I expected (it was 800 pages, and I started it in February. I thought it would take me like six months to finish, but nope, only two!)

Pass me my book…and my tiger spice chai pleeeeeeeeease

I really love Stephen E. Ambrose’s writing style; I’m familiar with his work, as he wrote Band of Brothers, which is one of my all-time favorite books (I love anything about the 101st Airborne Division). I’m only 65 pages into this one, but apparently there are excerpts in D-Day from Band of Brothers, so I know I’ll enjoy that. 😀

HOOKED. D-Day is an outstanding book thus far and I just can’t seem to put it down. The writing style makes me feel like I’m literally there in the action – like I can imagine hearing the C-47’s flying overhead. I also enjoy reading about the strategies and planning that went on behind the scenes from the perspective of the Allies and Axis Powers, which the book goes into. I’m a fast reader but I’m trying to read it more slowly so it’ll last longer!

See ya!! 💜

Florals and 800 Page Books

Published on February 21, 2019February 21, 2019 by hellosamanthadear7 Comments

Happy day to you all!!! I hope you’ve been enjoying your week. 💜 Today is a fun floral outfit that is just wishing for spring to be here already. 🌸

I figured, let’s brighten up this otherwise cold and cloudy day where I live and put on some brights:

The skirt is a thrift find and the cardigan is from New York & Company!

I’m still trying to be somewhat warm by wearing my boots (if my feet are cold then I feel miserable!) and since I don’t own a pair of pants, boots are a must for me this time of year. 😀

In other news, I’ve began this book that will probably take the rest of my life to read considering it’s 800 or so pages. The Decameron is a collection of one hundred stories in one book, though!!

It was written in 1353, and the author survived the Black Death (hence why it’s considered such an important piece of literature, because he gives an extremely rare first-hand account of what it was like in the beginning of the book).

The basic premise of the book itself? Ten young people run away from medieval Florence, Italy during the plague to take refuge in the countryside, where they distract themselves from reality by telling each other ten stories for ten days.

Collectively it comes out to around 800 pages (at least the edition I have is around that number!) It will be a long read that will take me through the remainder of the winter, then through spring and summer. I’ve never read a book this long so I can’t tell how long it will take to get through! 😜

What’s the longest book you’ve ever read?! This is definitely the longest for me… 😝

Seeee you next time!

January Friend

Published on January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

Hi!! 💙 I hope you are having a great start to your new year, 2019! ⭐️

Did you all enjoy your New Year’s? I really did; I had a little New Year’s Eve party with my mom and sister at home. We had cheese and crackers with a bottle of root beer, and watched the Rockin’ New Year’s Eve countdown. 🎉 Fun fun fun…

Here are two outfits from last week!

I really love exploring the world of colors, and what pairs with them. I remember how much I enjoyed taking Color Theory in college. I could easily spend an hour browsing color palettes on Pinterest, getting ideas for outfits. 💜

I really don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I have started a tradition where I pick out three books to launch the start of the year! And the above book is my first and current read to start off 2019: The Cistercian World: Monastic Writings of the Twelfth Century.

I didn’t know what to expect with this, but I wanted to immerse myself in something that was, hopefully, profoundly spiritual. And boy is that what I got. It’s actually becoming one of my favorite books.

The book is a collection of writings penned by monks, and it’s actually very easy to understand, which surprised me. It’s mostly their thoughts on spirituality and their personal experiences in a monastery. I feel like this book is a gem, like I found it nine centuries later hidden in a tree or something, and I’m getting to see a glimpse inside their world and their thoughts—like a secret friendship.

I wandered around Barnes & Noble a few nights ago, sipping a hot peppermint mocha from the café and perusing the aisles. You wouldn’t believe my surprise when I came across a book for beginning Norwegian!!!

I was so surprised to have found it that I had to get it; I actually plan to study Norwegian after I finish my Swedish course, so it’ll be of good use. The nice thing is that both languages have strong similarities, so I already recognized a lot of Norwegian words.

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My newest illustration: Coffee with Friends. This wonderfully weird gal has insects, a rat, and a plant that is apparently alive and drinks coffee too as her friends. Cute, no? 💜

See ya next time!!!

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Bringing Back the Gloves

Published on November 8, 2018November 8, 2018 by hellosamanthadear8 Comments

Happy November!!! ♥

I don’t know about y’all, but I am a really big fan of gloves. I’m aiming to incorporate gloves more into my outfits with the coming cold weather. Although, these really aren’t for warmth as you can see; I wore these this past weekend when it was warm (like 80 degrees).

They’re just added for an extremely old fashion look. And I think I succeeded! The skirt is a hand-me-down (my mom wore it in the 80’s).

I’m going to take a wild guess and say that my inspiration came from watching some 1930’s films as of late. Gloves were a staple back then (as a fashion accessory)…

I like it, I love it, I want some more of it…. *Tim McGraw voice*

I ordered a pair of light pink lace gloves, as well! Can’t wait for those to arrive.

I feel like gloves add such a ladylike look to a dress or skirt ensemble, that you don’t see much of anymore. It’s definitely old school but I say, wear what you like! Whatever that may be, whether it’s something super trendy or extremely outdated! Just dooooooo eeeeeeeeeeet!!!!

It has been a delightfully quiet week, which is nice because next week will be much anticipated!

I ended up with quite a bit of vacation days left, it being the end of the year and all, so I took all of next week off. That paves the way to the GHOST CONCERT next Thursday (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Anyway, that is a LOT of time off, and I’m not even sure what I’m going to do with myself. But that’s the fun part. I will just take it one day at a time… 😃

Other fun stuff from this week…

I finally found a book about the Gulf War. I have wanted to learn more about Desert Storm for WHO KNOWS how long now…finally picked one! I heard this one is really good. Can’t wait to start it soon!

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This is so random, but I ended up going through the entire discography of Sugar Ray this week. LOL!!!

I listen to Spotify a lot at work. Up until now, I’ve only known of Sugar Ray’s famous 90’s hits, but listening to their albums start to finish was pretty darn good, I have to say! Glad I listened, two thumbs up 👍🏼👍🏼 .

In retrospect, I’m going from listening to every Sugar Ray album to being catapulted to the polar opposite end of the musical spectrum and will be under the same roof as Ghost next week…someone pinch me because I feel like I’m dreaming!!!

‘Til next time!!!

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Little Red Coat

Published on October 6, 2018 by hellosamanthadear9 Comments

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♥♥♥ Happy October!!! ♥♥♥

Well, the month has arrived! Let the fun holidays of the ending half of the year begin. I wore these on the second day of October, so I didn’t waste a moment to get started on Halloween. Nice touch, no?

And the spider background is a foreshadowing to my Halloween costume…muuahahaha.

Pumpkin cookie from Panera…yumm. 🎃

We had our first rain this week! It started at a whopping 6 a.m., in which I heard the distinct sound of rain pouring down on the roof. I was ridiculously excited; it doesn’t rain here at all during the summer, so this is truly a reason to celebrate. 😉

Rain, at the beginning of the week.

End of the week.

The rain didn’t last long, unfortunately. I managed to see a huge lightning storm that was happening to the north while I was driving on the freeway at night, though. 🌩

Since the cooler weather is on the way, I’ve brought out some jackets. Here’s a red one I wore this week!

I’m really glad I have this little red jacket. It’s quite warm, and I also have a new khaki jacket that’s similar in style that’ll be great to wear when it rains. I could’ve worn it this past week during the rain, but it hadn’t arrived in the mail yet. Next rain storm and it’s onnnnn!

My current read!!! After being knee-deep in a book about the Black Death for the past few weeks, there’s only so much of the bubonic plague a gal can take. Hence, a light-hearted and happy read was a must after I finished the book. I chose wisely!

I love the show, so it’s easy to love the book.

Here’s a favorite passage I came across:

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I hope you all are enjoying the start of this beautiful month and getting into the festive spirit! I’ll be going to the pumpkin patch this weekend, so I’m super excited about that. There will be photos and a blog post, naturally. 😜

‘Til Then! ♥

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Golden Hour

Published on June 26, 2018 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

Ahh…summer evenings. ♥

There really is something lovely about golden hour, especially in the summer. Despite how hot it was here (a little over 100 degrees or so), I still enjoyed sitting out in my backyard on Saturday evening before I made the short drive to Barnes & Noble later on.

Out here, I get to hear all kinds of things. Mostly the rustle of leaves from the gigantic tree that shades the backyard, and then the hum from the cars on the freeway. It’s a perfect blend of nature and city life. ♥

Just sitting out in my backyard for a little while feels like a full recharge. As much as I enjoy being out and about, I definitely enjoy moments of complete solitude as well. My tiny backyard feels like a secluded corner of the world where I can admire the greenery and be alone with my thoughts. 🙂

My outfit, incidentally, went along fittingly with golden hour on Saturday evening!!!

This is probably my favorite go-to wrap dress. It’s light, comfortable, and simple! I love the color so much. It’s from Forever 21.

Paired with a bow, it makes for a very retro-casual look. And perfect for frolicking around the bookstore, no doubt!

I made this bangle bracelet awhile back. ♥

I got my nails redone!!! This time, much much shorter (well, to me they are short compared to what I previously have had!). I decided to be a risk taker and let the manicurist create whatever design she wanted. Thus, I ended up with an artsy, almost animal-like print on my nails. It’s very different for me, but I love it!

Golden hour…how I love you!!! I managed to take these outfit photos at just the right time, no?

So after this, I went to Barnes & Noble. There’s nothing like ordering a cold drink at the café there and browsing through the store aimlessly, stopping to look at books that catch your eye…

Like this!!!

By the end of the evening, I looked through books about unicorn-inspired food, wolves, and serial killers. A pretty strange mashup but, rather interesting reads nonetheless.

My week has started really nicely! I had a conversation with one of the regulars I see at my favorite coffee shop before work today, and we were discussing creativity. He was talking about how he has learned to appreciate art much more as he’s gotten older, and that ‘creative people make the world a prettier place’.

I love that! ♥ How inspiring!

Tag: books