Just some snapshots as of lately! 🌸 Enjoying the sights of blossom trees, reading outside, and watching I Love Lucy before I go to sleep every night… 💙
See ya next time!!!
Shades of Blue ~ An Early Spring Photo Diary
Tag: ootd
Orange Bows, Orange Chairs, and Airplanes High Up in the Air
The other day, I read a blog post over at The Tote Trove, and she mentioned the color orange. It got me thinking about how much I really love orange; it’s a color I think looks really nice on me and it makes me long for warmer days during this time of winter (I’m a heat gal; my favorite temperature range is 80 – 100 degrees). So I was inspired by her post and I wore bright orange today!
The yarn bows almost look red, but they’re actually neon orange! The second outfit is my new gingham dress that I recently purchased from H&M. 😃
On Thursday afternoon, I enjoyed a coffee treat at one of my favorite coffee shops, The Axis in Madera, CA. And one of my favorite things about this place are the ORANGE CHAIRS!!! Oh and of course, the amazing coffee!
There was rain expected later in the evening, so I watched the clouds roll in as I sat with my laptop and coffee drink that afternoon. I also enjoyed listening to the sounds of airplanes way up in the sky; not commercial planes, but those small planes. The sound of a passing small plane, where the engine sound gently fades away into the distance with a low hum, is one of my favorite sounds!! It always makes me think of WWII and airfields. Any time I hear it, I pause and really listen, letting my mind wander back in time.
So here’s to the little things we love, whether it’s a color, a coffee, watching the weather, or a certain sound that stirs up something within us. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, these are little things that really do make my heart soar. ❤️
‘Til next time!!
Saved By the Smell: My New Arabian Perfume and A Trip to Dunkin Donuts
For the longest time I’ve worn body spray, but the scent never lasted for very long, unfortunately. Recently, I decided to explore the world of perfumes; I knew I wanted a perfume oil, that was for sure. Years ago, I had a friend who was from Kuwait (she moved away awhile back), and one time I noticed the small perfume bottle she carried with her. She let me use a little and I could still smell it the next day!! I learned that it was a perfume oil she purchased in Dubai.
After Googling perfume oils from the Middle East, I stumbled upon the brand Swiss Arabian – the first perfume manufacturer in the United Arab Emirates! I had a sample kit sent to me and one in particular made me fall in love with it: Private Musk. Just the other day I received the full perfume in the mail; I looooooove the bottle and the box it came in! 😍 The smell is: Saffron, Orange, Jasmine, Caramel, Candy Floss, White Amber & Oak Moss. 💜
I love to smell myself now… *sniff sniff* !
Meanwhile, I’m rockin’ my new overall dress!! I’ve wanted one of these for a long time and found this really nice one on Amazon. You can find the overalls here and the striped shirt here!
So!!! Dunkin Donuts has a new drink for Valentine’s Day called the 💕 Pink Velvet Signature Latte 💕! Naturally, I had to try it and I drove 45 minutes out of town to Hanford with my sister just to try this drink and get a donut (Fresno doesn’t have a Dunkin Donuts). This drink was delicious and had a faint cherry-mocha taste to it, in my opinion (if anyone remembers the Cherry Mocha from Starbucks a few years ago)!
See ya next time!!! 💘
I’ll Take Two New Pairs of Socks and a Coke, Please
Hey, hey! ❤️ Finally I own a pair of black socks with white stripes; I have always wanted a pair like this! I have these and now, a burgundy pair of socks, which you’ll see in the second outfit. 😃
You can find these socks on Amazon, the striped ones here, and the burgundy ones here! I really love these outfits; they were fun to wear.
I have been enjoying the unseasonably warm weather here in Central California AND!!!!!!!!!!!! I TRIED THE NEW COFFEE-FLAVORED COCA COLA DRINK!
I enjoy a soda every now and then, and I knew I had to try this bad boy! (I was honestly pretty crazy-excited to try this).
There are three flavors: Vanilla, Dark Blend, and Caramel. I figured the Dark Blend would be too strong for me, and I don’t like Caramel. So Vanilla it was!!
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. That’s right, five stars! It has three layers of flavor you experience when you take a sip. First you taste Coke, then vanilla, and then after you’ve swallowed it, the coffee taste lingers on your tongue. An absolute joy! Drinking it was an experience and I savored each sip. ❤️
Boooom! See ya next time!
The Blue Book – A Glimpse into Former East Germany
You all know me by now; I love collecting mementos from the Cold War era! Finding vintage items from the USSR isn’t hard at all; there are countless online sellers living in post-Soviet countries who have entire Etsy shops dedicated to such vintage goods. But finding vintage items from East Germany, however, is an entirely different story!
I’ve read many insightful books on East Germany, and yet it still seems like such a mysterious shadow of a former country. It only existed from 1949 to 1990, as did its other half, West Germany.
East Germany was a communist country though and didn’t have free trade (it was a satellite state of the Soviet Union and therefore, behind the Iron Curtain), and finding vintage items online from there is harder, 30+ years after Germany reunited. There are less online sellers who sell things from the former DDR….
…but I found this!!! And boy was I shocked to come across it on Etsy, from a seller in Berlin. It’s a 1970’s membership book of the Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organization (it was for East German youth aged 6 to 14).
The photo of Erich Honecker is a real throwback; his portrait was everywhere in the East back then, as he was the leader of the country at the time.
I seriously can’t believe I have this. It’s a real thrill finding historical items from the Iron Curtain countries, and I’m thankful for the Internet, which enables me to further dive into my strange-fascination with fallen communist regimes! 😃
Funny side-note: while Google researching this pioneer organization, I found a vintage poster for it in Google images and the girl reminded me of myself as a kid…we even have the same TEETH, hahaaaa!!!
Now, let’s end this post with an outfit!!! I love this one because it has all sorts of color shades going on and that pop of red and pink. 💖❤️
See ya next time!!! ❤️ Do you have any collections? Feel free to share in the comments!
I Made an Absolutely Amazing Cake
While perusing Pinterest one morning a few days ago, I found myself admiring beautiful cakes. Then I thought, hey…I can make a cake, can’t I?!?!?! I then got on Betty Crocker’s website and began looking through the sea of cake mixes. I decided on one of my favorites – yellow cake! I ordered the items I needed and all I spent was around $5. Can’t beat that!
The final outcome was this delicious chocolate yellow cake with cherries. 🍫🍒
And here’s a super 70’s-inspired outfit I wore today with my vintage granny square vest! 😃
See ya next time!! ❤️
I Finally Own Yarn Hair Ribbons and Now I Feel Like I Can Take on Anything in Life
Yarn hair ribbons…where do I even begin here? All I know is that I have been a fan of these super-cute retro hair accessories for as long as I can remember. They were actually kind of hard to find (I eventually found a pack on Amazon) because I specifically wanted thick ones, like back in the day. After some research, it seems they were most popular to wear during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Have I ever worn them myself? Nope – not until now, that is!! At last, it is my turn to wear these badges of retro honor.
A simple pack of bright yarn made me all kinds of happy; I’ll be wearing these incessantly, I’m betting. A new signature style for me, perhaps? I think yes!
So I’m bringing back yarn, and not for crafting, but for wearing proudly in my hair in all of its retro-quirky glory. Because I love to bring back old school things you’d see in a retro sitcom, like waving at my neighbors, smiling at strangers I pass by, and wearing hair yarn like I’m Cindy from The Brady Bunch. ❤️
Although, I’m like an extreme Cindy Brady with a creepy vibe who discovered heavy eye makeup and chokers.
I’m excited to wear all this brightly-colored yarn, honestly. I feel like it gives me superpowers (the superpower being confidence).
See ya next time!!!
One for the Books; Wearing a Cool Apron
✨ 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!! 📚☕️
Follow Me as I Wander Around, Christmas Edition
My tripod was positioned all kinds of crooked when I took this photo but I still love how it turned out!! Like my new red coat? I also have one in khaki that I’ve had for a long time and both coats are featured in this post. You can find them here on Amazon!
I love the week leading up to Christmas. It has a special feeling to it. ❤️✨ So I made sure to go out and enjoy it by walking!
And here I am wandering around Woodward Park! I love coming out here because I get to appreciate nature and see people having a good time – whether they are jogging, cycling, walking their dogs or playing with their kids. (Funny side-note: I think dogs are super cute, but I never want to own a dog. Same with kids; I think kids are cute, but I never ever want children!) Woodward Park is huuuuuuge, so there is so much to see.
Here’s a close-up of my accessories; Easter necklace near Christmas, why not?
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🏼 See ya next time!!
I Love Hair Clips That are Meant for Kids
Tis the season for cloudy and foggy days!! The grey skies could use some color, so that’s where my outfit comes in, and also my stash of kids hair clips I keep within easy reach on my bathroom counter. I love these things…
They make me think of elementary school in the early-to-mid 90’s. Here are the highlights of my elementary school life that I fondly think back on:
- Wearing two different colored socks to school each day
- Being on the cheer squad
- Being Commissioner of Grounds (I won every time because I was the only kid who ran for it), in which I was given a clipboard and map of the school and was granted permission by my teachers to walk around the campus once a week to rate how clean the school was. I still vividly remember walking across the playground and onto the dewey grass in the winter months, surrounded by fog in the early morning hour, and marking my little paper whether the field deserved a 1-5 score on cleanliness. Then I gave the report to the janitor.
So basically, they were epic times…
I LOVE ORANGE AND PINK. It makes me think of…Dunkin Donuts! 😀
I AM SEEMINGLY ALWAYS HOLDING A FRAPPUCINO…………………….
And on the topic of school, these last photos were taken at Fresno City College at sunset, as the deep orange sun rays danced across the buildings. My friend and I walked around the campus, admiring the architecture while sipping our coffees and chatting about our time there. I spent one semester at this school waaaaaay back in the day before I transferred to Fresno State University! It was nice to revisit it and appreciate the architectural beauty, especially during this time of year when autumn is slowly transitioning into winter. ❤️
See ya next time!!
