From Marie Laveau, Madame LaLaurie, the culture, history, and street style fashion.
derby worthy hats print
So I just got sick yesterday and even went home early from work hoping to recover overnight but didn't. I feel worse today lol. But I was excited to complete my list of things to do today. I prepared and mailed out a print order and worked on a new print that I just added to my shop! I did this illustration during Fashion Month last year where I worked diligently every day illustrating a series of trends I spotted on the runway. I'm slowly adding more as I'm trying to pick out my followers top favorites. I'm always open to suggestions! After all I wouldn't have opened up a shop if it was never requested by you guys! So ask away~!
xx ss
costume contest
Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! I decided to have a low-key celebration this year and instead of dressing up, I dressed up as me! Well more of me.. It was a perfect day to feel comfortable in my own skin without anyone judging. You can check me out on my Instagram! Originally I was planning on joining in on a seance circle last night, but I wanted to have a glass of wine on my Friday night. And being intoxicated in a seance circle on the night where all the ghosts and ghouls are out is not a smart idea! Lol. I've seen so many fun and interesting costumes on Instagram this morning and being the natural trend spotter I am, I've noted a few common costumes that definitely stood out to me. See if you can match the costumes below with each category! We have a Unicorn, a Nerd, a Cat, and a Skeleton.
..done? :) Here are the answers:
1. Unicorn = C. trendiest
What's with unicorns this year? Did I miss something? This is probably the next psychedelic animal every girl wants to be at least once for Halloween. I still don't know how unicorns became animal of the year. Miley Cyrus maybe? But I guess I'm not too surprised. Unicorns even popped up in a reading I got from a friend last week! I guess it's all the hype these days and everyone's somehow connected to them! I still don't know why though.2. Nerd = D. easiest
I can't tell you how many people I've come across this Halloween who've said they weren't planning on dressing up but end up dressing up anyway. Being at the very last minute they search for an impromptu costume, one that they already have and can build off on, and the easiest. One of them is the nerd costume. If anything you already own these school girl clothes even if you never went to a private school {why? Because some girls like to dress nerdy sometimes. It can be sexy}. The only accessories you'll need to shop for are fake thick-framed black glasses. Everything else can be stolen or borrowed from office supplies.
3. Cat = A. predictable
If you really have nothing to wear or be, this is another simple costume. It's cute, pretty, and a normcore costume. You won't win a halloween costume contest with it unless you throw on some wings and be a sexy mutant fairy cat. Maybe..
4. Skeleton = B. most common
This is a popular one this year. I actually wore skeleton leggings with my outfit last night. People seem to get more creative with the idea of bones, but who would've thought that people can make bones look... sexy?
Happy Pumpkin Day!
xx ss
frayed denim
So one way to keep the skinny jean alive is by cropping it at ankle length and fraying the hems. That'll give it a more relaxed look, right? These days we are all going for the relaxed look and want to feel relaxed in our jeans.. and not pressured to squeeze into our skinnies and expect to look ten times better in them. At least this little frayed detailing at the hem will distract eyes from whatever is suffocating in the upper part of the skinny jeans..
xx ss
muse: Wendy Nguyen
Today's tiny fashion muse is Wendy Nguyen! After last week's fun idea, I wanted to continue doing more cut outs of my illustrations.. Sometime last week I just pictured hanging my little sketches on the tiny clothespins I got myself from the Dollar Tree store last year, lol. I purchased these little clothespins on impulse because they were so cute! But didn't know what I would do with them. That's my problem.. I just buy cute things on impulse when I don't have any use for them. But I do now that I've shrunken my illustrations to like 1 1/2"-2" lol.
Happy Sunday!
xx ss
muse: Keiko Lynn
the Naked 3 experimento
Happy Weekend everyone!!
I woke up this morning with this wild idea to color my little illustrations using Urban Decay's Naked3 palette. I love the way it turned out, but maybe the next time I use make-up as my medium I'll use colors that pop! I totally forgot how subtle the Naked3 palette was, lol. I love this brand anyhow. They have the best metallic colors.
The muse I used {in this little made up project I did for myself} is Cosette Munch of crackcosette.com. I felt her outfits worked perfectly with the Naked3 aesthetic.. And I also like her simple and graceful poses!
This was super fun to do overall.. Did you catch my process on my instagram? :)
xx ss
muse: Alix
This parisienne girl is my new favorite fashion blogger. I find myself more attracted to fashion bloggers who a.) has a unique personalized and chic sense of style, and b.) can pose elegantly & have fun! I've found a lot of the popular fashion bloggers to be stiff, and are afraid of movement. And to me, that doesn't make their outfits look great. I just love Alix's looks and photos! Check her out here!
http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/
xx ss
wednesday
Who does happy hour on a Wednesday with their favorite girlfriends? ...I do. Even though it seriously costed my energy { << does that makes sense? Is the grammar right for that? Lol..} for the rest of the week, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Every time we're together it's just all laughs and stories. It's just those moments that make life not so serious. We all work in the fashion industry and struggle to integrate reality and creativity to our work load every day.. And how we all met was from working together at the last company I was at. We've all become so very close ever since. I love these girls, they're definitely my other halves. Without them, I wouldn't be the happy girl I am today.
xx ss
muse: emma
In last week's fashion blogger study, my pick of the week goes to Emma from A Beautiful Mess. I'm such a big fan of her and her sister's blog. They are ultimate blogger queens! They combine DIY fashion, crafts, and cook yummy goodies all on their blog. They're extremely creative.. and that's what I love about them. They are definitely role models of mine. I love their fashion mixology concept. They take 8 pieces of clothing and create 8 different looks. I mean, I don't know about you, but since I've started working, I've been finding it kinda hard to pick out my wardrobe every day and every week. And I find myself repeating my outfits... ughh I hate that! But then again, I did just get complimented today and was told I dress well.. :) I guess I'm looking for a way to make my style a little more interesting.. and different than yesterdays look! Anyway, last week I drew up quick sketches of mini muses dedicated to Emma in my little notebook! I usually do most of my sketches at my desk at work during my lunch break. I know some people hate having lunch at their desks, but if I'm there sketching, then I zone out completely :).
xx ss
little tokyo, the connections, the talks
If you didn't know already, I value my time more than ever, and I always look for the little surprises every single day. Since I've conditioned my intellectual mind to get out of the way {to save the worrying and stress about stupid shit}, I've found my days to be more enriching.
Read Morea Beautiful Weekend
I love love this weather! It feels like summer already! We totally skipped Spring, lol. Anyway I'm starting to appreciate my free time even more now because I realize I have so little during the weekdays. I don't know if I like that.. haha. But! I'm still adjusting to this new schedule! This weekend was easy going since I had a lot of sleep to catch up on. But then of course, I had to make some time and grab some din din with one my besties! We ate at one of my faves, Umami Burger. I love that place. I decided I should treat myself to some delicious hearty & meaty foods since I've been eating vegan for lunch since I started working. Greens give me more energy throughout my days at work. I guess that's also why I've also lost a ton of weight... x(
I decided to sleep in on Saturday and work on some clean illustrations for the day. My muse this weekend was Stephanie Liu from HoneynSilk. I love her hair.. My hair would've been that long by now if I hadn't cut it two months ago but it was just putting so much weight and strain on my neck! It felt so good to chop it all off. Anyway, not everybody can make hair this long look this good. When I usually see girls with this length, it looks dirty and unmanageable. And sometimes just a mess. But this girl puts in the time and effort to make girls want to grow their hair this long. This girl can pull it off.
So I have a problem: I'm obsessed with green tea anything. Too much green tea here.. too much. I love it. Green tea and great talks and good advice from the bestie. The fashion industry, the drama, blablabla, and life and its surprises. What I love about meeting up with each and every one of my friends is that at some point in our convos we both realize that everything we do and aim for has been a work in progress. When we reflect, we realize that from the last time we met up, we've accomplished something good and it's made us happy. I love hearing their stories of accomplishments and sharing my own experiences as well. It just shows how we're able to create exactly the lives that we want. I love my friends <3
My Asian selfie to end the weekend. I don't like doing selfies, and I shouldn't be doing them, lol. Hope you all have a good week ahead of you! Think happy thoughts!
xx ss
chunky necklace
Wee I'm excited! After falling in love with my first tribal chunky necklace I had to have another! I did a sketch of my first one last year when I was planning out my costumes for Burning Man but it didn't make it on the trip :(. But good thing I didn't have it with me because the desert sand would've ruined it! Anyway I got in contact with the owner, Nao, who makes these amazing pieces of art and ended up doing this collaborative illustration for her and her product. She sent me the necklace I illustrated for her and I'm so happy and excited to show it off! I just looove it! I'm excited to wear this now that Spring is coming up! Yay, more colors!!
If you want in on the fun, check out her shop here!
xx ss
time & energy
My sketch for today. She is one of my favorite style bloggers, Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. I want to meet her one day. She is such an inspiration and all the goodies she cooks makes me drool... and I love her style. Another week flies by! Another great one too! Since having this new job I've been pretty impressed with the atmosphere of the company and its professionalism. You must be wondering why I'm saying that lol, but in case you didn't know, the fashion industry is crazy. It is actually like what you see on Project Runway.. and I think it's sooo stupid. It's why I decided to take a year long break. I was around crazy people every day and it ate up my energy even though I had the tools and knowledge to block negative people. I was just falling apart. And there wasn't enough of me to intend for this type of prevention. I was a robot with no heart. But now that I'm back I've been enjoying the design team I'm working with. This week I experienced my first company meeting among 500 co-workers which took place at the Beverly Hilton which was pretty impressive. That whole event might as well have been a company holiday party because it was just so fancy! I loved it. There was a runway show for the new direction of the brand which looked pretty cool. I can't wait to own some!
I had a fancy coffee and I don't like coffee.
I had a couple of minutes to spare in the morning after I made myself some green tea. I think this'll be a new routine. :) I've been illustrating Blair from Atlantic-Pacific. I love her style and the way she poses. She's perfect for practicing.
I've been so tired this entire week but I made an effort to attend my second six-sensory class. It's pretty intense and my teacher says it's going to be like boot camp now moving forward. I'm excited.
Great moments this week. My energy is low right now because I haven't had much sleep since I've been trying to adjust to my new sleeping schedule. Sleeping in is one thing I do miss. I'll admit that I did have my moments during the week where I was unsure why I was working again, but every time that happened I pulled out my sketchbook and sketched away or opened one of my happy books that my amazing friends got me for my birthday to remind myself not to over think things, and just keep practicing what I love doing. And I would also find things to make me laugh until I cried. And on the weekends I'm playing with some yoga moves. Playing is important. Ask Albert Einstein.
xx ss
And lastly, I'm so happy for my mom. I love her and my sisters so much and after dealing with 3 years of trying to piece ourselves back together after her devastating split up with my dad, the divorce is now finalized. I'm so grateful. She made it without losing her mind because she had me and my sisters and my aunt to balance her out. No pills, medication, and all that stupid shit. She's a fuckin fighter. I love her.
Thanks mama for your continued and loving support <3
my birthday week
Wow this week was definitely full of surprises. One of them being that I decided to jump back into the fashion industry and work full-time {temporarily} to keep up a steady paycheck because honestly, getting illustration commission work has been difficult! But don't worry, I'm still keeping up with it! It's my passion, so it stays. I started my first full week and I love the work place already and the energy there. In my last job I dealt with so much high school drama that it drained the life out of me. It's a relief to know that not all companies are like what I went through in this crazy industry. On my third day of work I decided to bring in a pop of nature, a stack my of favorite reads, and my sketchbook to my new desk setting to create a zen environment. :)
I celebrated my birthday this week too. The day before my actual birthday was actually when I celebrated it because I finally admitted to myself I was 25, lol. I never could comfortably admit my age now because I'm starting to feel that the years are passing by too quickly :( And people always thought I was older than my actual age because of my personality.. I just have an old soul, and I feel like I'm growing closer to that age! So on the day before my birthday I embraced being 25 and reflected on all my moments from my past year and saw how much I loved what I created and learned. 25 was my favorite number that day. Not to mention the date was 2/25 too. :) And to my surprise at the end of the day when I went to my car after leaving work, I realized that the parking space number I parked in was #25! That instantly pinged to me because it was a definite sign that I was on the right path :)
It always rains on my birthday. I think I should stop saying that. That way I can stop bringing that to me lol. But it did, but lightly which made me happy. These past two days mother nature literally had diarrhea. I've never seen the streets flooded so bad. My car was like swimming in the rain. Anyway, I'm happy that I didn't have that crazy weather on my birthday! I would've cried lol. So I got to go out with one of my best friends and my older sister for din din and enjoy a yummy cake :)
I've also started my next series of six-sensory classes this week which was amaziiiiing!! So excited to be doing this and continuing my path of being spirited :)
I loved my week. It was a mixture of ups and downs and happy surprises. I loved it so much. It definitely tired me out, but that makes me happy because I just have a lot to do! My days just flew by this week.. which scared me a little because I missed a few days of sketching when I wanted to sketch. And when I tried, I was too tired to function. So for next week and the month ahead I plan on doing 10 sketches per day to keep my practice up, attending my six-sensory class every week and practicing every day, dance class once a week, and yoga every other night! Ahhh, I'm excited. Happy Weekend everybody!
xx ss
working hard & hardly working
So far I've been getting the best of both worlds :) And when I have my down time I go looking for sweets or a latte to snack and sip on along with some good company. That's what my month's been like so far. I love this month. I loved last month too. I've just been surrounded by good people and good energy. And when there was people present that I didn't want to encounter, the situation was miraculously avoided. Yay! I'm also becoming way more flexible from doing home yoga which I'm über excite about. My back is bending more and more every day where my head can almost touch my butt lol. I feel like a contortionist now. Maybe I'll share a mini video on instagram one day...
My best friend Alyssa pointed out how I've been hanging out at Urth Caffe too often now. I'm just not tired of it yet, lol! I think once I get through all the designs in my latte I'll take a break. And plus the place is just so relaxing...
I had an interview today for a freelance position :) So yes, getting back into the fashion industry again but only for a few months. I'm trying to make as much as I can while I'm doing custom illustrations. Gotta make that dough!
Oh my gosh and it's London Fashion Week too? Ugh, I'm behind.. but I did find a designer whose collection I looooved!
AHH! And it's exactly a week before my birthday! *GASP* 30yr old peeps are right when they say your 20s go by like that!
NYFW is over
...and thank God too, lol. But then again, it was perfect timing after I had that pep talk with Brenda last Sunday when she told me to re-work my illustrations again. I didn't even know it was New York Fashion Week until I saw everyone posting it on instagram on Monday, lol. It was the perfect opportunity to practice. {The universe done it again!} At the same time I was trying to hold back from spamming my instagram feed because I get so excited lol.
Here's a final look of just a few of my faves from NYFW. All of my illustrations came from people's instagram pics under the hashtag #nyfw. I wanted to do more, but there's just too many! And my hand is cramping...
mark and estel
thom browne
oscar de la renta
marchesa
Oh yea, and Happy Valentine's Day guys! <3
xx ss
girl talk
I had such a lovely Sunday yesterday sharing yummy lattes with a bestie at Urth Caffe. I got much too much green tea goodies though. But I was craving it.. I love catching up with a friend.. love, love. I just get great advice. We shared lots of great stories, laughs, major goals for the year, and marketing tips for business which made our conversation more worthwhile. Yesterday she inspired and motivated me to rework my illustration style. And that's today's scribble.
Thanks, Brenda <3
xx ss
Bundle Up!
Even though the California sun shines on us like it's still summer and ends our days with pretty pink sunsets, the cold that settles in at night sucks. And certain areas of my face dry up so bad that it peels.. And it hurts :( This weather is confusing me. Anyways.. February.. I can only say that a lot has happened already for me this year. A lot of good changes. Some highlights: I chopped off all my hair for a modeling job and ended up really loving it. :) I'm taking up more mystical classes and meeting more new people. Going to Barnes & Nobles regularly and reading outside on a bright sunny day. Seeing my friends every week! And recently paid a visit to a familiar face and his family & friends.
It's my birthday month too. Who knows what'll happen next? I definitely know what I want in life, but it doesn't always present itself to me in the way I want it to. Knowing this has taught me to pay more attention to my life around me, and also to let go; but most importantly, expect it. That said, I'm looking forward to more collaborations in the future and fun projects! And an abundance of creativity and inspiration! This year's going to be filled with so many surprises. Can't wait!!
xx ss
In Love.
MAN now that's a catwalk! Forget walking on 15" heels! Walking en pointe the entire runway presentation is total skill & respect! I lovethis! Can't get over it.
And I love ballerinas. Ugh, this show is amazing.