Wednesday, June 29, 2011

On Nnenna's Needles #21: Ombre-Like

Here's a sneak peek of my latest knitting project, something I'm making for my new home. I've held back from decorating the place that I'm staying at currently because I know it's only mine for the summer, but I'm already very excited about having my own place in the fall. I'll have free license to decorate it however I want to and hopefully this project I'm working on will make the new apartment feel a little bit more like home.



Also, just wanted to tell you guys that I've got some exciting things for the blog coming up in July! I've been working really hard on this stuff behind the scenes and there's only a couple more weeks until I can reveal it all to you, so stay tuned! =)

P.S. Ten points for anyone who can guess what this is going to be! :D

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Monday, June 27, 2011

I Just Can't Get Enough


Old Dress, Target Wedges, H&M Sunglasses

I love the summer and looking back at these pictures taken when I was home a few weeks ago reminds me of that. I love feeling the sun on my face and the wind in my hair. My favorite things to wear are dresses and skirts and summer weather is perfect for that. I don't know what it is about summer, but I simply feel light and carefree. There are just so many good things that happen in the summer. Does anyone else love summer as much as I do?


Ross Cardigan

myspace graphic

In other news, I survived my first week of work! On Friday, because of a lovely concept called 'summer hours,' I even got out of work early! I'm slowly getting into the routine of waking up earlier and going to bed earlier than I used to. Believe me, it is a struggle because I am the kind of person that likes to go to bed at 3am and wake up at 12pm, haha! Anyways, the people seem nice and hopefully I'll make friends soon :) Another challenge I'm having is figuring out what to wear to work! My office is pretty casual, but I took stock of my closet and realized that most of it is inappropriate to wear to work (usually the item is too short for the office). So, I've been trying to take advantage of the summer sales to buy some things that are appropriate. Do you guys have any tips to help me with this little problem or have you run into this problem yourself?

Also, over the weekend I created a tumblr! I'm hoping to post images that I've taken with my new camera and just generally share pictures that I find inspiring. I'm obviously very new to this, so if you're on tumblr and there's anything I should know, please do share! And leave me your links so I can browse your tumblrs too! :D

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Friday, June 24, 2011

FBFF: Since I Started Blogging...

It's been a while since my last FBFF post! This week, the questions are all about personal changes you've noticed since you started blogging:



1. Since you began blogging do you notice a change in the types of things you gravitate towards while shopping? Hmm, I guess my answer is yes to this question in a variety of ways! For example, before I started blogging I would never have mixed prints like I did in the outfit above. It just wouldn't have occurred to me! So now, when I'm shopping for new clothes, I'm trying to envision all the different ways that I can wear it with the things I already have. Also, I'll see a certain item and it will remind me of a blogger. I'll think something along the lines of, "I could totally see this on insert blogger's name here!" I would like to think that my style eye is expanding and I know I'm wearing outfit combinations that I wouldn't have worn a year ago.

2. Do you find, as a fashion blogger, that you dress differently from your family and friends? Do they comment on that? Well, I started this blog while I was in college and I have to say my group of friends are quite the fashionable bunch, so the way I dress doesn't stand out from them as "dressed up" or anything like that. I definitely have a different style than say, my sister for example. Actually, she used to rag on me all the time for being a shop-a-holic and such because she was still in a phase where she didn't care about her appearance too much. However, as soon as she was able to drive herself places, you better believe that she started shopping just as much as I did, haha! Now I tease her for being a hypocrite! :P

3. What’s the weirdest fashion that you secretly like, even if you aren’t bold enough to wear it? I don't know if I have a good answer to this question! There are certain fashions that I love on other people but wouldn't be caught dead in; for example, flatforms. I do like the way that they look on other people and I know that they're really trendy right now. But...I probably would never wear them because I've got large feet and I have a sinking feeling they would not do anything good for my feet (Confession and Disclaimer: I'm 5'3" and wear a size 9 or 10- pretty big feet, I know! Also, I have not tried on a pair of flatforms IRL, so who knows- I might try on a pair and fall in love with them and be wearing them next week on the blog, so don't yell at me because I'm calling my own self out! ;)



4. Looking at current trends – what would you like to try but need to build up the courage to do? I know I am way late to the game on this one, but I would really to try out the crop top! I just love how easy breezy the outfit is above and I now think it totally fits my personality and might be something I could pull off. I used to think that only the super tall and thin could wear this trend, but now I know that it looks fantastic on many different body types and all I need to do is try! Let's mark that as a goal for this summer, shall we? An outfit with a crop top! :)




5. Toot someone’s horn – what fashion blogger out there inspires you with her bold fashion choices? I have to say I absolutely love Julie's (of Orchid Grey) style! I feel like she's one of those bloggers that everything she wears, I would absolutely wear too. She definitely inspires me with the way she remixes pieces and combines them to form so many different looks! Also, her outfits aren't always flashy, but to me, they're never boring and I really admire that!


As usual, I'd love to hear your answers to any and all of these questions in the comments! :)

Fashion Beauty Friend Friday was created by Katy Rose of Modly Chic. Become a member at the Fashion Beauty Friend Friday Google Group to join in the discussion!

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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

On Nnenna's Needles #20




Summer Lovin' Vest
Handmade Vest, TJ Maxx Tank, Forever 21 Shorts

A while back, I mentioned I wanted to make a more summery version of this vest. I envisioned something lighter and airyer and eventually I found the pattern that I was looking for. I love the off-white color because it has summer written all over it. Actually, this vest is made of a combination of two different yarns, one of which has a little bit of a shine to it, which you can see when you're closer. Here I just threw it on over a sheer top with cute birdies all over and added some dark wash denim shorts for a casual summer look, but I can picture wearing it so many other ways- over a strapless dress on breezy day...with a skirt for a walk through the park....there are so many possibilities! =)

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Monday, June 20, 2011

CT Blogger Meet-Up!


L to R: Amber, Lydia, Megan, me, Courtney

Last month, I made plans to meet up with some fabulous Connecticut bloggers. At the time, I thought I was going to be in New Haven for the summer, but even after I found out that I would be moving to New York, I did not want to miss this blogger meet-up! It was such a pleasure to meet these ladies and they were all so fabulously dressed! Let's meet them one by one, shall we?

Amber

Amber


 

Lydia



Lydia

 

Megan

Megan

Megan

 

Courtney

Courtney

Courtney

And you might perhaps recognize this last person...

Me! :)

Nnenna
H&M Dress, Target Wedges
Nnenna

Nnenna



Your eyes do not deceive you- in that last shot, I am holding my new toy, a Nikon D40 camera! I bought it second-hand off of Craig's List for only $250 and this meet-up was the perfect opportunity to bring it out to play! So far, I am loving it, especially how much better the pictures are turning out. If I get my act together, I might even take a digital photography class this summer.

We had so much fun shooting each other in a couple of different locations on Yale's campus! It was really weird being back at school and not seeing anybody I knew. Also, normally I am one of the people looking at all the tour groups snapping pictures frantically, but this time, we were the objects of people's stares! As you guys know, I am too chicken to do outdoor shots by myself, but with these girls I wasn't too nervous at all and I had a blast!

After taking pictures, we headed to Barcelona, a delicious tapas restaurant in New Haven. There, the waiter commented on how dressed up we were and asked what occasion we were celebrating. When we told him we were all meeting for the first time, he asked how we met and someone responded, "Online..." which sounds really funny without the context to back it up! :D We ended up explaining to him that we are fashion bloggers and we even took a picture with him that is supposed to be posted to the restaurant's Facebook page. After dinner we had drinks at a bar called 116 Crown (guess where it's located? That's right, 116 Crown Street! ;D 116 Crown had really interesting drinks, such as the Grey Lady that Courtney ordered, which has egg foam in it, but totally doesn't taste like it does! Late in the night, we parted ways and agreed that we must do it again soon! This was my first meet-up and I can't emphasize this enough- find other bloggers in your area and meet them in person! I bet you'll have a fantastic time! ;)

CT Bloggers
Don't forget to check out the other ladies to see more pictures and details of what they wore!
(all pictures taken by either Amber, Lydia, Megan, Courtney, or myself)

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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

On Nnenna's Needles #19

My Felted Slippers
These slippers are perfect for keeping the toes warm on my new hardwood floor.  As you know from my last On Nnenna's Needles post, I tend to have cold feet (literally, not figuratively! :) and these little slippers take care of that problem.  They were made using a technique called felting in which you knit the project larger than you intend it to be, then use water and agitation to shrink the stitches and create a dense type of fabric.  This pattern is really easy to follow and these would make a great gift for someone!


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Monday, June 13, 2011

what's next

So here it finally is, the big news that I've been hinting at for the past couple of weeks:

You guys may remember me mentioning that I've been looking for and applying to jobs since January.  Then, a few days before graduation, I got a call from one of the companies that I interviewed with and they offered me a job!  Needless to say, I was (and still am!) extremely excited and called my parents right away to tell them the happy news :)

Right now, I'm still home in CA, but tomorrow I head to NY!  I have an apartment that I'm subletting for the summer and I have some time to settle in before I start work in a little over a week.  I do eventually have to find an apartment for the fall, so if you guys have any tips for apartment-hunting the city, I would love to hear them!

I've been to New York several times over the past four years, but I know living there will be a completely different experience!  I really am so interested to see how it will all turn out!

Tell me: Who's a NYC blogger? As I start to explore the city, what are some must-see spots?

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Friday, June 10, 2011

time of my life

The commencement celebrations were a weekend-long affair and the first thing I did was...

get my nails in order
Class Day was on Sunday, May 23rd and it is a tradition on this day to wear crazy/silly/funny hats to the event.  Every year, Class Day is organized by the Senior Class Council and it is a day to hang out with friends and less formally recognize the graduating students.  

my roommates
a gaggle of girls
her grandmother made this for her- I mean, how awesome is this hat?!
twins
this is a hat modeled off our bell tower- the most detailed hat I saw!
This year, we were lucky enough to have Tom Hanks as our Class Day speaker.  One of the first things he told us was not to put away our phones, and to instead tweet about his speech or post it on Facebook!  Funny guy! :D


The official commencement ceremony was the next day.  First all of the schools at Yale (undergraduate and graduate) assembled together, then us undergraduates split off into our residential colleges to attend a more intimate graduation there.

my sister and I
my parents. don't worry, my dad is not angry, he just rarely smiles in pictures!
my family- left to right: brother, mom, me, dad, brother, sister, godmother
waiting for my name to be called
diploma in hand, feeling good!


So now it's been a couple of weeks since all this happened, but I have to say...it hasn't really hit me yet.  I said my "see you later's" and my goodbyes to both friends and acquaintances, but I haven't really come to terms with the fact that this chapter of my life has officially ended.  There is still a part of me that thinks I am on a temporary break and will return to school soon.  I (as well as many other graduates, I'm sure) am wondering, "What's next?"  How about I get back to you on that?  ;)

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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

On Nnenna's Needles #18

Tangled Up in Green
These are the second pair of socks that I've attempted to make.  The first pair fit fairly well, but they are very bulky and definitely more suited to the winter season.  These ones, however, are lighter and airyer (is that even a word?).  I especially love the open lacy part of the sock.



I don't know about you guys, but I'm one of those people who likes having their feet in socks most of the time.  Even in the dead of summer, when the temperature is well past 100 degrees in my hometown, I often wear socks to bed.  I didn't think that was weird until I talked to some of my roommates and discovered how much they dislike socks!  One roommate told me that every time she wears socks she feels like they are suffocating her feet!  So I'd love to know how you guys feel about socks....

Tell me: Do you love socks or hate them?

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Monday, June 6, 2011

beach bumming

As you guys know, I went to the beach about a month ago, but I've just finally gotten around to uploading my pictures!  I road-tripped down there along with six other friends in a big old Suburban (you should have seen how little we looked behind the wheel of that ginormous car!) and spent four lovely days on the beach.  I thought I would share a few iPhone snaps with you- hope you enjoy! :D









our first day on the beach/ friends helping make dinner/ the hotel where we stayed/ toasting our arrival with a refreshing cocktail/ spending some time in the 'burban'/ soaking up the sun/ dining together in our hotel room/ sun + sand + sunscreen= a good combo =)

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star-crossed smile: June 2011

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