happy – The Big Hair Diaries

Thirty-one? Thirty-Fun!

Published on November 28, 2018November 28, 2018 by hellosamanthadear12 Comments

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Hello there!!! 💜

I hope you all are having a splendid week! I wanted to share some photos from my 31st birthday with you guys!

Sit back…and enjoy! 🎁 🎉

Alright, so I wore a tiara all day. This was strangely on my bucket list in life…wear a tiara on my birthday. CHECK!

I received some reeeeally puzzled looks from people but, that’s okay with me. 🙃 I was happy as a clam!

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Can I just say how much I looooooove my sparkly tights I bought off of Amazon?! They just add so much fun to an outfit! I’m obsessed with these!

Some snapshots of lovely gifts I received and yummy food 💜 :

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I HAD A RETRO BARBIE CAKE!!! AND MY FAVORITE ICE CREAM! (with a macaron!) ❤️

I finished the day off with Indian food – my favorite!

This was a fantastic birthday; I’m thankful for another year on this beautiful planet! I love being in my thirties…it’s honestly the happiest I’ve ever been. 💜

I hope you enjoyed…have a beautiful day!

See ya!

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Paper Doll

Published on August 23, 2018August 23, 2018 by hellosamanthadear7 Comments

Hey!!!

So I have like, 9000 outfits to show you. Or 3 – same thing.

How are you all?! I hope you’re having a very fine day. 🙂 I certainly, certainly am! This week is flying by like lightning speed, I’ve been crazy busy (we’re printing a new textbook at work, so it’s been go-go-go), and next week…

is…

SMASHING PUMPKINS.

(Hey, on the topic of pumpkins, did you know the Pumpkin Spice drinks debut next Tuesday at Starbucks?! Not like I’m counting down the days or anything?)

But yes! I am going to see the Smashing Pumpkins on Monday, in Oakland. I can’t believe it is almost here. My next blog post will be all about the concert. My heart is full!!! ♥

This was my Monday outfit. Or my måndag outfit. (Yes, I am going to be Swedish-dropping some words on y’all throughout this post, as I have been up to my kneecaps in Swedish lessons on Duolingo this past week.)

I have been practicing so much Swedish, that the other night I woke up in the middle of the night and randomly mumbled out the word strumpor (which means socks)…

Like the candy-esque outfit? I like to start my Mondays on an upbeat note to launch the week off to a good start. That means an iced mocha (or if I want to make it an extra special Monday, a raspberry iced mocha) at Yellow Mug, a super cute outfit and Viking metal playing in the car.

Do you have a favorite day of the week? Or days? My favorite days are Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I just really like those days. ♥

Mina favorit dagar är torsdag, fredag, lördag och söndag.

The pattern-mixing continuous! I wore this outfit on Sunday, I think. Gingham anything is awesome, but I’m really loving the bold black-and-white gingham print. ♥ I bought it on sale at Forever 21 recently.

(Every skirt I am wearing in this post is a recent purchase from Forever 21, by the way!)

New choker! I bought it on Etsy not too long ago. 😉

Hallå, sun. It has been in the 90’s here! Which is my preferred temperature of choice, as opposed to over 100 degrees it has been for weeks on end.

Last but certainly not least, this is the outfit I wore today!!! This is my first denim skirt purchase, and I lucked out on this find! I have another one in pale green, which I’ll wear sometime soon.

I’m sure you recognize my shirt, which I have worn many times with the familiar fåglar on it. (Birds!)

Me eating fruit on my break at work, and finding it to be a good time to take a close-up of my new denim skirt.

I WENT TO PAPER SOURCE.

I know this may not seem like a huge deal…oh, but it is.

For a long time, I have wanted to wander into this place, that opened maybe a year or so ago where I live. I heard it’s filled with pretty things like stationary, writing utensils, planners, wrapping paper, gift boxes, coffee mugs, and otherwise colorful things that are collectively a vortex I knew I would easily get sucked into.

I walked in, unprepared for what I was faced with. FRUIT SCENTED GEL PENS? Hellooo, nostalgia! A set of super bright writing cards with matching envelopes, and a bright pink ink pen? Yes, please!

I have two pen pals: one I email, and the other I write traditional letters to, so I am definitely going to come back to this place in the future for more pretty stationary! ♥

And what a week it’s been! ‘Til next time!

Artsy McFartsy

Published on August 3, 2018August 3, 2018 by hellosamanthadear4 Comments

Hiii!

What a week it’s been. First off, I’ve been staying at my sister’s house this week, because they’re doing asphalt reconstruction where I live. It’s just easier than trying to find parking elsewhere.

So! Monday, I started the day off super early and went to my favorite coffeeshop, Yellow Mug. I was there at like 7 a.m., much before work, because the construction started at that time and I needed to head out of my neighborhood.

It was nice being out and about so early. Everything is so still. I read quite a bit before work while I was there…I have BEEN READING A LOT…

Hey, did you notice that piece of TAPE holding together a torn edge on the book cover, pictured above? The book looked pristinely new not too long ago, and I really tried to keep it looking nice and neat. I keep it in my purse so it gets nudged around a lot, I’ve accidentally slept on it (more than once), and my sister’s cat tried to eat it. All in all, a few dirt smudges and a slightly torn edge isn’t all that bad considering it survived all of that.

My sister’s house is quite picturesque! I’ve enjoyed staying here, and it’s felt like a little vacation in a sense – not being at my own place, not doing my usual routine (aside from work), having a different view and what not…

Tonight was a special night because I displayed some of my art at Art Hop! I’ve been looking forward to it because I bought frames for my illustrations, and a new canvas print.

This was my outfit for the day! A pink and blue floral ensemble.

It was a hot summer evening at Art Hop, but luckily I had some shade. The new frames totally matched my tablecloth!!!

I love Art Hop; I love displaying my own work and seeing the work of others. Self-expression has always been and will always be my loyal companion in life, and I love to see how others choose to express themselves creatively. ♥

I had two customers: both little girls, around 8 years old. They had their own booth! We traded art; they each took one of my art pieces, and I took one of theirs. This was their art I brought home:

An ice cream cone and a dropped ice cream cone. This is a great two-piece art set and in all actuality, represents me quite well because I drop things all the time, and I love ice cream. PERFECT!!!!

I love that the two little girls were so artistic and involved at such a young age! I hope they never lose their love for art and it continues on throughout their lives.

Another reason I love displaying at Art Hop? It keeps me growing artistically.

I always think when I’m out there, as I sit at my display table, “What should I create next? What do I want to bring to life from the depths of my imagination?”

The great thing about imagination, is that it’s endless. ♥

See ya! 🙂

Happy Heart

Published on April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

Well hello there!

I hope you all are enjoying your mid-week! As for me, I definitely have been. 🙂

Today’s outfit is from H&M! ❤

I really love the style of this dress, as it’s very feminine. Paired with the shoes, I think the black adds a punch!

I looooove the little pink and burgundy floral print! And how the sleeves hang…<3

I paired it with my daisy headband. Nice touch, no? 😀

I’ll leave you with some inspiration, as I don’t feel like I’ve shared much inspirational writing lately!

The other night, I was talking on the phone with my sister about being in a good mood. I’ve been in a really good mood lately, not for any particular reason, as nothing different has occurred to make my mood this way. So with this in mind, I’ll elaborate!

I told her one thing that makes me feel really good about life in general is keeping a gratitude journal. I write down everything I currently feel grateful for, and it gives me an appreciative outlook. I do mean everything – even down to being grateful for a cup of coffee and writing in detail what I enjoy about the taste of it. The tiniest things do count!

Because you know what? I guarantee if we suddenly didn’t have the tiny things we take for granted, it’d become blatantly obvious that it’s gone. Then we’d think, I should have appreciated it more!

I didn’t sell my sister on the idea of a gratitude journal though…she didn’t seem too impressed. LOL!

Being happy with what I have at the moment also makes me feel good. Life can change in an instant, so I truly appreciate the quiet moments when I acknowledge and appreciate that my health is good, everything is calm, I have what I need, etc. We never know when something can change!

I hope this post inspired you! See ya! ❤

Easter is here!!!

Published on April 1, 2018April 1, 2018 by hellosamanthadear5 Comments

I’ve been looking forward to this day soooo much! It’s finally here and boy do I have a lot of things to share with you all. ❤

So, I love Easter for many reasons: for faith-based reasons, as it’s the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, and also just because I have an excuse to dress up like a pastel princess (like I really needed an excuse for that, though?) and eat candy.

You are never too old for an Easter basket. My morning started off with delicious jelly bean-filled Easter eggs, a piece of chocolate, and fruit snacks!

I LOVE THIS DRESS. It’s from Forever 21 and looks so vintage! Love the dusty pink color and the white polka dots. I had it altered because it was originally very long.

I’ve had too much fun today dressing up and taking photos. I love you, Easter!!!

If you think the Easter fun is over – think again! I turned the weekend itself into an Easter extravaganza, so I have another outfit from yesterday to showcase.

A sweet, little old man told me I looked like an Easter egg, so the outfit was a success!

Do you notice how happy I look in these photos…?

The happiness you see on my face is my I JUST BOUGHT TICKETS TO SEE THE SMASHING PUMPKINS REUNION TOUR IN AUGUST glow!!!

This has literally been the best weekend! Easter fun, and purchasing tickets to see one of my favorite bands of all time! I was reading about it, and they’re playing songs from their original five albums! This is going to be gold!

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And what got me even more hyped up about this, is that in their promotional tour video, they featured the same women from their Siamese Dream album cover – they’re just grown up now!

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I’m ridiculously excited about this, and I’m still floating in the air. I’ll be going to Oakland in the Bay Area to see it! Between now and then, I’ll have to think of the perfect outfit to wear…I already know it’ll be inspired by the Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness album!

Hope you enjoyed this post! ‘Til next time!

Artsy Chic

Published on March 3, 2018 by hellosamanthadear14 Comments

Hello there!!! I have some super duper exciting things to share, so here we go!

Last night, I had my first art showing!

I was asked by a DJ who I follow on social media about setting up a table at Art Hop, which is a once-a-month event downtown. I was, of course, ecstatic!!! I had to pick the perfect artsy/feminine outfit that would reflect my own art, so I went with this. The ring is my own creation, of course!

I took the day off from work just to enjoy the day before I arrived early to set up. Going to Yellow Mug coffee shop, it was very quiet because a) it was a weekday and b) the weather was SOOOOO terrible! Rain and wind, all day. But, I got to enjoy the warmth of the coffee shop indoors and watch the rain through the windows. 😉

As you can see, I had a celebratory birthday cake macaron with my coffee that morning. ❤

Showtime!

Here is my set up! I brought out my top favorite art and jewelry creations. ❤ I had the opportunity to walk around the room and look at other artists’ work and share our inspiration behind what we create.

For me, all of my work has an underlying theme: femininity! My jewelry has mostly a cutesy, floral theme to it, and my digital art is all of women with their own type of beauty and mystique to them. Both my outfit and display have a lot of pinks and florals, because pink is a powerfully feminine color and flowers are Earth’s natural beauty. Flowers comfort me. ❤

The art show started off quietly, but as the evening went on…

…it picked up and was packed! It turned into a house party environment with musicians performing and people dancing. It was very fun. 🙂

At the very end of the night, I sold a ring! I was pleasantly surprised. The entire night was a lot of fun, and several friends of mine came through to see my work and show their support. I was touched! ❤

This was a big deal to me because I have wanted to showcase my art at Art Hop for a long time! I set up my table display on my own and it’s just how I hoped it would look. So I feel really happy that I accomplished a long-time goal!

Have a happy weekend! See you next time!

A Bygone Era

Published on January 20, 2018 by hellosamanthadear8 Comments

Hi everyone!!! ❤

I’m so happy to showcase this outfit, which is probably my favorite thus far. I’ve wanted an ice pink, lace-y, retro outfit for a long time, and I finally managed to put one together into a very dream-like ensemble!

I wore this on Monday, when I had a day off from work and went to my sister’s house. Her house makes for such a nice backdrop, and it was incredibly foggy that morning, which created a neat effect visually.

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Folks, I don’t know how I can put into words how much I love this outfit!!!!! Yes, I’m totally squealing over it.

Similar to the beige blouse I posted in my last entry, you can find this top here! It’s very light and very comfortable.

I love lace, and anything pink, so it goes without saying that it’s a dream come true to find such an item.

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I love this shade of pink; I think it’s my favorite. It reminds me of a bygone era, and the color is so sweet and feminine. Come to think of it, it’s not a color I see worn too often, really.

It’s cold, so I wore the outfit with tights and boots, but in the springtime, it’ll look even more retro with some simple flats and no tights. Spring…where art thou? ❤

Enjoy your weekend! See ya!

Rainy Day

Published on January 6, 2018 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

Hello! 🙂

We’re finally getting some rain here, so the pink umbrella gets to come out again. I love this umbrella; I’ve had many umbrellas before, and this one is the most long-lasting one I’ve owned (and the prettiest one, to boot).

I’m wearing the boots again, this time with tights, because there’s a cold front rolling in through the weekend and early next week. I think it looks really good (the black tights with the boots).

So I’m super excited that I found this old necklace I used to wear all the time in like, elementary school! I found it amongst some old jewelry I came across. It’s so cute because it’s very subtle and dainty. They’re tiny beads with little flower charms. It reminds me of being a little kid and loving jewelry so much, even then.

The umbrella creates so many neat hues on my hair and face. 😛

I hear there’s supposed to be thunderstorms possibly early next week!! We seldom get that kind of weather so I’m actually looking forward to it, haha.

It’s funny that I like storms now, because I was terrified of storms as a kid. My mom and I got caught on the outskirts of a very rare (for where I live, anyway) tornado when I was 7 or 8 years old, and any time there were storm warnings after that incident, I’d cry.

I don’t mind storms now. Although, when I hear the Emergency Alert System siren go off on the radio or television, I still get chills (residual fear, I suppose). 🙂

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend! ‘Til next time!

En Janvier

Published on January 4, 2018 by hellosamanthadear4 Comments

Welcome, world! 🙂

I caught a photo of the super moon from the other night – however many nights ago it was – and it was super bright! I managed to get a decent photo of it. ❤

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My start of the year is definitely beginning nicely, I would say! The other day I went for a walk on a different trail, and got myself a hot cup of coffee beforehand to keep warm. This trail is really nice because it’s within the city, so it’s settled in a pretty residential area. Nice for a change of scenery. 🙂

Today’s outfit!

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Nothing like finding little dead tree particles to keep me entertained!! There’s nothing left of the big tree out front, except for some twigs and berries…

Today I tried something different: I wore some faux fur boot cuffs! I look ready for treacherous, snowy terrain…

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… jk. Don’t the little cuffs add something to the boots, though? Totally changes the entire look!

Overall, this is a very fun look, in my opinion. I think it’d look cute too with an entirely pink outfit! Like a snow-Barbie look.

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January is a relaxing, calm month in my opinion because it’s post-holidays, and it’s nestled in a window of time where winter carries on, but there’s that anticipation for spring in the back of my mind in the months to come…

I really tend to romanticize the seasons, don’t I?

I’m feeling really positive and happy, as it’s the beginning of a new year and I’m just doing my thing, sketching out ideas for new projects, and ordering the materials I need. ❤ Suuuuuuper excited for that!

I’ll leave you with my latest digital art. I titled it Winter Wonderland and I aimed for it to inspire feelings of joy and wholesome fun.

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See you next time! ❤

Happy New Year!

Published on January 1, 2018 by hellosamanthadear7 Comments

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone has enjoyed these last few days of 2017. 🙂

It’s been, overall, a year of growth for me! I definitely am most grateful for landing my dream job this year as a graphic designer. I honestly think about it each day and feel much gratitude to have been blessed with such a job, and with great co-workers. ❤

The best thing I did this year was believe in myself. I told myself I deserved a wonderful job where I could utilize my degree and flourish, and I took a chance. Good things take time!

My artistic endeavors have also grown, as I tried my hand this past year at greeting cards, an art mug, and doing abstract paintings, which I plan to carry over into the upcoming year! I explored with my jewelry and have been regularly creating new digital illustrations. I’m thinking of dabbling into international shipping on Etsy (something I’ve been nervous to do, but I hear it’s not that difficult).

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I’ve had this fuzzy tinsel sweater for YEARS! I only wear it once a year, and quite fittingly, I wear it on New Years Eve.

What do you think of the star headband? It came out nice, no? I love the glittery stars. Heck, I’m going to wear it again tomorrow for New Year’s Day.

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This sweater photographs kind of funny in the sense that in some pictures it looks black, and others it looks navy blue…

I got my nails re-done! I’m so happy to be back to a sheer, neutral shade. I always end up missing natural-looking nails after I try a bolder color.

New Years Eve Night!

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To celebrate and ring in the new year, my mom and I made some healthy smoothies; these are berry smoothies that I topped with raspberries and blackberries. SO GOOD. I totally gave them their own photoshoot, haha!

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I hope you all have a Happy New Year and it starts out amazing!!! Smile easily and stay true to yourself…those are my words of inspiration to you all!

Tag: happy