Tag: style

A Picnic for One is a Picnic For Fun

Published on by hellosamanthadear5 Comments

Hey, y’all!! 💐 💕🌸

I finally fulfilled my dream of taking myself on a picnic. In this time of practicing social distancing, what a better way to practice it than by going on a solo picnic?! But honestly, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, way before the Corona days.

First!!! Two outfits from this past week. 😃

Unicorn necklace made by the talented Tracy over at The Tote Trove!

I’m really into hair pom-poms lately. They’re just so funnnnn. 💜 Tee heeee…

So!!!!!! One of my favorite stores ever, World Market, has for awhile been temporarily closed like so many other places due to COVID-19. That’s my go-to place for foreign treats, and I’ve missed it!

It made me think about trying an international snack box. However, I didn’t want to commit to a subscription service to try some (just something I could treat myself to every so often, not monthly). Much to my happy surprise, I found snack boxes you could purchase individually for a great price on Amazon! I picked from the Amazon’s Choice snack boxes because they had great reviews. 👍🏽

I decided on the Turkish snack box for my first one (you can find it here on Amazon). I was really excited because I have always wanted to try Turkish sweets/snacks. I’ve tried a few so far, and they’re delicious! You get a lot in the box, so it’ll last a long time.

I took one of the snacks with me for my picnic (the brownie) as a dessert. 💕 Picnic time!!!

Amaaaaazing cherry brownie!!! 💕🍒

So yes, it was a grand ol’ time, and I went for a walk afterwards. I haven’t been on a picnic in forever!! Good times. ❤️

See ya next time!!

Cake Walk

Published on by hellosamanthadear14 Comments

Hello there!!! 💕

Ohhhhh how I love hot pink. 💖 I wore this soft blazer over a delft blue printed romper on a walk this past weekend!

I want to eventually get a couple more blazers in different colors (you can find these bad boys over on Amazon). They are super soft and comfortable! 😀 I highly recommend.

And here we have some new digital art! I created this after being inspired by my stargazing adventures in my backyard last week, using my Sky Guide app to locate things in space. I’ve always been interested in the Andromeda galaxy, so I named this one Visions of Andromeda. ⭐️💜

Now, join me on my walk!

This walk was different. There was something missing, and that was: my friend Sarah. She moved to South Carolina on Saturday; my walks are continuing, only solo now. It’s funny because I was always used to going for walks by myself, but during the quarantine, Sarah and I became walking buddies and we had a blast (even dancing around and skipping on our walks). 💜

So now I’m adjusting to solo walks again. That’s okay though, because I got back into it pretty quick!! I’ve always been blessed with the unfailing ability to entertain myself quite easily. Evidence: I played somewhat of a game in which I took photos of other solo things in nature along my route:

You have a street light, a twig and a rock. Fun fact, when I was a kid, I used to take photos of street lights and would name them. If you really look at street lights, most of them look different from each other. As a kid, I felt like they each had their own personalities, so I’d name them accordingly.

I liked this because it looked like a headstone. It has something to do with the street lights, however! Pretty cool. 💚

So in a nutshell, I remembered how much I love solo walks and how intrigued I am with everything. And hey, you’re never alone when you’re GETTING HARASSED BY BEES.

(Must bee my beehive hairdo.) 🐝

You got the walk – now for the cake!! I made my very first cake from scratch! I’m happy with how it turned out (even though the consistency was a bit thicker than cakes normally are…oh well!).

I got all fancy and drew little white roses around it. I’ve mastered my signature sugar cookies, but I wanted to try a cake. Not too bad for a first-timer! 👍🏽

See ya next time!!

A Very Brady Outfit

Published on by hellosamanthadear2 Comments

Hey all!! ❤️💙

I mentioned in my last post that I’d been watching episodes of The Brady Bunch. I love the storyline and the wholesome nature of the show, however, another thing I love most about the show is the fashion!

I spotted this granny square vest on the episode My Fair Opponent (1972). Marcia gives the not-so-popular girl at school, Molly Webber, a makeover which included this adorable vest I instantly fell in love with.

And what did I do?? I hopped on Etsy, of course. A simple search brought many a granny square vest up in the results, and I found a very similar one like hers – who would have guessed I’d be so lucky?!?!

Can I get a heck yes for granny square vests please… and while we are on a 70’s roll here, I’ll gradually ease into the other goodies from this past week…

I was beyond happy to get the two CD’s I’ve wanted for some time now in the mail; it’s always nice to have some new tunes to play in the car while I drive! Another bonus from this past week are these new daisy hair clips I made. 🌸 They look ultra late 60’s/early 70’s.

Hotter Than Hell by KISS (1974). 💜 Definitely my favorite album of theirs, next to their debut album! I love the gritty-sounding production on this one.

This is my second Ace Frehley album!!!! I wrote awhile back in another blog post how much I loved his 1978 solo album. Fast forward forty-years later, and I love Spaceman (2018) just as much! Yet again, I’m enamored by the gritty, cosmic, rockin’ straight-shooter of an album this one is. My favorite line (because it makes me giggle) from my favorite song off this album (Bronx Boy):

Bronx boy,
Just trying to exist,
I never played with toys,
Don’t give me bullshit.

Maybe it’s just my sunny, rose-tinted-California-perspective that draws me to his rough-around-the-edges, no-nonsense approach??? I’ve never been to the Bronx, but he paints his childhood as a street kid (before he got famous in KISS) quite well through his no-fluff lyrics!

And as I loop this blog post around full circle, my new albums are definitely not as wholesome as The Brady Bunch and granny square vests. But what do they all have in common, in one way or another? The seventies, that’s what!

See you next time!! 💜

Quarantine Time Snapshots

Published on by hellosamanthadear19 Comments

Hey hey!! I hope y’all have been doing well during these quarantine days. 💜 Life has been really quiet for the most part but I managed to collect some snapshots of what I’ve been up to. 😀

First off, I keep forgetting to blog about this (I don’t know how I forgot???) but I have really exciting news! Last month, I was notified that a logo I designed for a restaurant called Seafood Station in San Francisco was up on display and I was sent a photo of it!!!

This is definitely my happiest moment as a graphic designer!!!!!!! To see a logo I designed hanging up is so exciting. Creating it took a lot of hard work and hours to complete, but all of that hard work paid off seeing the final result. So a piece of me is in San Francisco!

The cool thing is that I have more logo design work coming up (the clients are all in the Bay Area). I’m used to designing graphics for Instagram business pages, so logo design is a challenging yet overall rewarding new experience! 👏

My backyard office space, which is perfect next to the little rose bush! I spotted a tiny bee-looking-fly hanging out on a leaf (photos below). Also, that hot pink rose on my planner is a paper weight I painted (it was quite windy when I took this photo).

I’ve been going for walks a few times a week with my friend Sarah, as I mentioned in my last blog post! It’s refreshing and I love looking at all the houses in the neighborhood. One of my favorite houses on our route is one that looks nearly identical to The Brady Bunch house (as a result, I’ve been watching several episodes of The Brady Bunch lately!)

I ended up going to the farmer’s market at a shopping center I frequent, which I hadn’t been to since the quarantine began. It was so crazy to see the parking lot empty, and also seeing my favorite Starbucks in this shopping center devoid of patio furniture and human beings:

Going to the farmer’s market was great because it felt familiar (I used to go sit with my friend at her vendor booth at farmer’s market nearly every Tuesday evening last spring/summer!). So it was really nice to go again; I got myself a Dalgona coffee and some sweets to take home. 💕 YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS…

My outfit for the outing. 😁 Pattern mixing is so fun and for that extra flower power vibe, I sported my daisy hair clips (I’ll be making more of these soon!!! I ordered more daisy patches to make hair clips but in different colors. They will make any outfit I wear look ultra groovy).

🌸 See ya next time!! 🌸

Dance Off Under the Rain Clouds

Published on by hellosamanthadear13 Comments

Hey, all!! 🌸

I’m sure by now it’s obvious how much I love flowers. So when my friend Sarah (who has been my walking-buddy during this quarantine, keeping a good distance as we stroll of course!) and I came upon this house with lush rose bushes in front, I had to stop to admire and get a photo with them.

Hanging out with the flowers.💕

The warm temps have been much welcomed for me, although on this day we walked, it cooled a little because there were rain clouds lingering. Everything felt damp and refreshing!

It started out as a normal walk (I led the way, as we always walk single-file at least six feet apart from each other), with the sun peeking through the rain clouds intermittently. We strolled through the affluent residential neighborhood, then down the long stretch of sidewalk lined with sweet-scented bushes and buzzin’ bees.

Then Sarah put on some oldies on her phone. It was at the climatic ending of Let’s Live for Today by The Grass Roots when I suddenly took off skipping full-speed down the sidewalk, like a crazed woman who suddenly let her inner child out.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la live for todaaay…and don’t worry ’bout tomorrow… as the song goes.

We kept on, Sarah being the DJ and taking requests. If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair…my song request by Scott McKenzie fluttered through the air like a butterfly. NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE…I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOOOOOOU, we sang along to Badfinger.

Our walk ended with us dancing around in the empty park until it got too chilly and the rain clouds took over.

Skipping and dancing – definitely not something I thought I’d find myself doing, and yet it was one of the most fun times I’ve had, and something I’ll always remember!

And what else did I learn??? That when it comes right down to it, my friend and I are two women in our thirties who just want to go outside and play, basically.

Rain clouds over the dance floor

See ya next time!! 💕

Easter Splendor

Published on by hellosamanthadear9 Comments

🌸🌸🌸 Happy Easter!!! 🌸🌸🌸

I looooooove this holiday so much. Sweet colors and chocolate-everything! How could I not?!! I also enjoy eating many Cadbury Eggs (my favorite).

Those are headbands I made many years ago that I decoratively draped in the basket and put one on the pink bunny’s head. I thought it made for a perfect prop!

As always, I LOVE YOU EASTER!!!! 💕

This past week, I have been walking way more than usual. I enjoy it so much because I get to fully experience nature and spring. My friend Sarah and I have been walking on a trail behind her apartment complex and it’s STUNNING!!!

I am easily enchanted by nature. A breeze made some leaves fall delicately from a tree and created a pretty sound as the leaves hit the sidewalk (me motioning for my friend to stop: “Wait!!! Listen…”) I love smelling the flowers I pass by (I check first to make sure there is no bee on it…yikes). The scents of the trees are intoxicating (I especially love the pine ones). And jasmine!!!!!! That one stops me in my tracks.

In fact, on our last walk, I smelled jasmine flowers and spotted it growing over a fence. I stopped and proceeded to take deep, deliberate whiffs, closing my eyes. And then I noticed a jogger coming towards me, looking at me like they were wondering what on earth I was doing standing there deeply inhaling the air… 😃 Tee heeee!

Oh nature, you are truly an experience. ❤️ Every little thing about it is pure magic. That’s me walking blissfully across a field. The song Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles always comes to mind when I’m walking aimlessly amongst greenery (which for me, isn’t just a song, but an experience in itself and a state of mind).

Let me take you down, ’cause I’m going to
Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever

I hope you enjoy whatever makes you feel blissful… 💜 See ya next time!

Goosebumps and a Sparkly Unicorn

Published on by hellosamanthadear13 Comments

Howdy doooo! 💜

On a whim, I took photos with a unicorn beanie baby and it was glorious. The unicorn was a gift from my sister some time ago! The tag says its name is Sparkle. I love the sequins that change colors when you flip them up or down.

I’ve been sitting it next to my laptop on my portable desk while I work, as my little work companion. 😃

💜 creepy grin 💜

The dress is from Forever 21. I’ve always wanted a lavender dress and it’s perfect for spring! 🌸

Guess what I found hiding in a closet in my house? My old Goosebumps collection!!!!!!

Goosebumps was a huge part of my childhood. I was always reading these books and I kept one tucked in my Lisa Frank backpack when I went to elementary school at all times. I remember watching the TV show that aired on Fox Kids each week and I was HOOKED.

My absolute favorite Goosebumps book (and I just finished re-reading it – still loved it just as much now as I did as a kid) is Phantom of the Auditorium. I remember watching an episode of Goosebumps one evening and seeing a sneak-peek of the next one that would air, and it was Phantom of the Auditorium. I was BEYOND EXCITED. That’s all I talked about for a week.

The episode didn’t disappoint, either!! I thought it was the best one of the TV series. I remember wishing at the time that there was a mysterious phantom haunting my own school auditorium (which in the book, ends up being the ghost of a young boy from the 1920’s who has waited 72 years to revive his role as the Phantom in the school play).

I STILL LOVE THAT BOOK. DANG. And let it be known that I actually dressed up as the Phantom for Halloween that year! (That would’ve been 1995).

I’ve read four of these books so far this past week, and given how many there are in the box…I definitely won’t run out of them any time soon! 😉 Many book adventures await as the COVID-19 shelter-in-place policy continues for the time being. Thanks, Goosebumps!

Did you ever read Goosebumps? Which one was your favorite?

See ya next time!!