Tomboy Chic.

Let's just dive right in:

Growing up I was taught to believe that being a girl and looking pretty meant you had to follow the basic societal norms of style. If you wanted to be a 'pretty' girl, you had to wear 'pretty' things. Pretty shoes, pretty jewelry, pretty blouses, pretty tights, pretty sweaters, pretty coats, pretty pants, pretty hair, pretty nails, prettyprettypretty. Pretty always meant pastel, or floral, or tailored, anything not resembling or reflecting something a boy would wear, and of course, pretty ALWAYS meant 'matching' (GROSS).

I don't know about the rest of you, but I grew up in a conservative household, and therefore my self expression was always stifled by 'that's not what we do or say, and that is most certainly not what we wear.' All I ever wanted was to wear blue jeans, two different colored shoes, and put my hair in pigtails (sound familiar?) every.single.day. And while I was sometimes allowed to do this, more often than not I was the subject of 'I can dress my daughter cuter than your daughter' syndrome, which resulted in LOTS of dresses, LOTS of matching outfits, LOTS of ribbon, and LOTS AND LOTS of hair brushing. Ouch!

A psych 101 student could probably dissect this post (and get a C, because she'd only be half right), as some sort of allusive peek into the resentment of my childhood, but really, I was fed, clothed (obviously), and most importantly, loved. My mother and I just really, REALLY didn't see eye to eye on fashion, even when I was 6 years old.

That being said, growing up with a very feminine mother, and me being somewhere in between, I have found a happy medium in my love for all things girly and all things tough. I like to pair pastels with black, florals with rips and holes, skirts with combat boots or sneakers, ripped jeans or shorts with cute oxfords or flats, and (gasp), I'll even throw in some heels every now and then (only if there's an edge in there somewhere).

And as I think I stated in my previous post, I have been so.fucking.BORED. with almost EVERYTHING I've been seeing popping up in the world of fashion. Magazines, runways, the internet, etc. It's all the same girly shit with no backbone. I mean, I am a girly girl, through and through, but I have to have some sort of edge reflected in my style. Because while I am small and have a soft spoken voice, my personality is nothing of the sort. Therefore you will not catch me in boating shoes and pastel shorts unless there is a studded leather jacket and some sort of rip somewhere in the equation.

Refreshingly enough, there are some fashionistas floating around the internet right now that I deeply admire. They can make an oversized sweater or tee‐shirt look like an evening gown, or black leather leggings and combat boots seem as tailored as a classic tuxedo. They are amazing artists, and I truly admire their bold stance to not follow what is overwhelmingly 'current.' Sure, they have their own cult following, but only because they are amazingly and effortlessly different.

Check em out:

Lua P.:




Kayla Hadlington:





Last but not least, Olivia Harrison (I've posted about her before, she is my absolute favorite, she is perfection in everything she wears):





(photos 1 and 2 taken from http://lookbook.nu/luanna, photos 3, 4, and 5 taken from http://lookbook.nu/kaylahadlington, and photos 6, 7, 8, and 9 taken from http://lookbook.nu/oliviaharrison.)


Following the fashion trend of 'pretty girl meets tough chick = hot chick ' in the previous photos, I'd like to add my own outfit to the mix, lovingly borrowing from all of the outfits seen above, and sported at my engagement party that took place in late January (sorry, only the clothes are pictured, not me... I don't feel like digging out my tripod buried in the hall closet, nor changing my VERY comfortable jeans and tee‐shirt to pose for the blog after a 10 hour work day):




Sweater: Thrifted, Urban Ore.
Skirt: (Actually a dress), Forever 21, hella years ago.
Shoes: Vans Hi‐Top Skate, Vans Shoe Store.
Black Patterned Tights: Target.
Bangles: Thrifted, Urban Ore.
Belt: Imported from London, hella years ago.

Notice anything? The shoes!!! If you read my previous post, you would know that I have been longing for a pair of hi‐top skate checkered vans for awhile now. I opted for the black and grey pattern since the combo is very versatile, and I can always change the laces if I feel the need for a pop of color. (I also dyed my hair the deep burgundy color showcased in my last post, while leaving in some fun bleach panels in the bang and nape area.. but I will talk more about THAT in my next post, which will be all about hair and skin care at an affordable cost... stay tuned!)

Anyway, I guess my point in all of this is, you don't have to wear pastel petal skirts and pumps to look pretty, you don't have to wear oxfords with tailored pants and button up blouses to be proper, you don't have to wear itsy bitsy sequined mini dresses and 6 inch heels to be hot, and I hope you already know (but may I remind you) that you certainly don't have to be a guy to be tough. All you have to do, is be yourself... for to be yourself is to love yourself, and I love you all. :)

Happy New Year, call me Frenchy (brace yourselves, this is a long one).

But my real name is Susanna and I am (proud to be) a beauty school dropout. 'GASP! OH MY GOD! WHY?? BUT I THOUGHT YOU LOVED IT?!' I hated it. I really, truly, loathed it. I can explain, so let's get serious for a moment:

At 29 years old, with no college degree and no long term career goal, late night existential conversations over wine and too much time, daytime anxiety attacks and abrupt emotional fits, I came to a standstill. I had to do something. Anything. I had to be 'someone'. Because being me simply wasn't enough. My full time job as a barista that was paying my bills, paying off debt, and saving money to live comfortably simply wasn't enough. Being in the most stable place I have been in what seems to be my entire life, simply wasn't enough. Never mind that the days I wasn't working were spent with the love of my life, laughing and living. Never mind that I had a home, a beautiful little roof over my head with two precious animals, brother and sister kitties who love us just as much as they love each other. Never mind that I actually had the time to focus on myself, the elements of life that made me the most happy.

It wasn't enough (or was it?).

Throughout my life I have been taught that I have to go to school, get a degree, get a career, and let that career define me. Since I didn't finish my art history degree and was a mere barista at a local coffee shop, I wasn't a person. At least, a valid person. My late night reflections on my life, and really life in general, provoked me to dig deep into the black of my 'incomplete' self in order to figure something out, anything, that might make me feel like I could actually take baby steps towards the road to a complete self. The road to success. And so it goes:

Hair.

I have always had a knack, talent, if you will, for making hair, anyone's hair, look awesome. And since one can't go to the school of writing, or painting, or fashion (all things I love) for a year and three months with the promise of a paying job afterward, I decided cosmetology school was my ticket to all things coveted: money, success, stability, a fucking backyard. With a garden, of course.

Fast Forward.

Cosmetology school was taking over my life. I felt as though I was immersed in a factory for 10 hours on a given day with an invisible drill sergeant screaming in my ear 'do hair! do hair!! do hair!!!' It wasn't fun. It was tedious and stressful, and the worst part, I had no time to myself, for myself, or my family. The only thing that carried me through each day were the amazing, beautiful group of girls I befriended. And I guess one could say that it would only be a year or so out of my life of having to deal with such pressure in order to be successful, but turns out, I didn't like doing other people's hair, I started to question if I wanted it as my lifelong profession, and really, wasn't I already successful to begin with?

I learn by trying. I tried, and it wasn't for me. If I am a starving artist for the rest of my life, so be it. I'd rather be happy and poor than rich and miserable.

That being said, going to beauty school for even a brief time was the therapy I needed to be fully comfortable in my own skin. I am me. Not what society says I should be. This may not be the case for everyone. Some of you love school, your career, the hard work you have put in to becoming who you are today, or who you are going to become, and that is totally rad. As for me, I am quite content living life, focusing on my own personal interests, and being with the ones I love the most. There is no promise of tomorrow. And I am so grateful for what I have today.

Moving on.

What did you do for New Year's Eve? More importantly, what did you wear? Lately I have been on the more tomboy side of fashion, but I decided to shed my Chuck Taylors, skinny jeans, and oversized tee‐shirts for New Year's Eve and doll myself up (because, after all, it would be the last New Year's Eve of my 20's... *crycrycry*). I was also kinda tired of NOT dressing up, because I really can create a super sick outfit if I want. I guess I just got kinda burnt out by copy‐cats and the superficial world of fashion (always trying to 'one‐up' the next person, etc.). Plus I have been kinda unimpressed with everything lately. There are one or two budding fashion icons on the internet that I look to for inspiration these days, but everything else just leaves me feeling 'bleh.'

But not on New Year's Eve! I was determined to get out of my cynicism and rock it. Without spending a dime.

After staring into my closet for what seemed like hours I finally came up with a floral high‐waisted skirt, a lace form fitting top (that I would disguise as a bodysuit), a black cloche hat, black patterned tights, a belt that I transformed into a choker, a hefty stack of bangles, and a pair of sessy teal green pumps I have probably worn all of two times before, and of course, for the cooler outside climate, my beloved jean jacket (I've had said jacket for over 3 years, and refuse to part with it until it's very last thread). All of these things were just chillin in my closet. Some I wear quite often, others hardly at all. But that night, they all came together to form the outfit that I also like to call 'Clarissa Explains It All In Heels'. Haha.

Here ya go:


Not really sure why I couldn't have smiled at least a little bit here, but this was the best photo I could get. I was in a rush that evening and didn't really have time to pose a hundred different ways or get the camera to focus perfectly.

Here's a close‐up of the accessories you couldn't really see in the photo or that were not visible altogether:


Details:
Black Cloche Hat: Bought at some hat store in Hollywood. Can't remember the name.
Choker: Actually a belt, can't remember where I bought it... online maybe?
Black Lace Blouse: 'Clausen House Thrift Shop' on Telegraph Ave. in Oakland.
Floral High‐Waisted Skirt: Crossroads Trading CO.
Tights: Target.
Teel Green Heels: Goodwill.
Black Patent Leather Clutch: Goodwill.

(Note: None of these items were specifically bought for New Year's Eve. And sorry, no sequined/metallic/drag queen mini‐dresses or booty shorts for me.)

Anyway, when all was said and done, my night was a blast. And although it was the first time wearing heels in what seems like a year (I used to wear them AAAALLLL the time... but now I ride a bike AAAALLLL the time.. and really just don't care as much) I did a damn good job at not falling on my ass. More importantly, not *looking* like I was going to fall on my ass. Yup, I still got it.

Alright folks, it's been a long one. But before I leave you, let me share with you a few things I have my eye on for the new year, some of them being trends from my past that I'd like to revisit on a regular basis, and some of them being specifically for the first few winter months:

Hi‐top Vans:


Creepers:


Lace ankle socks:


Chokers:


Dark lipstick/gloss/stain/whatever:


Burgundy Hair:


Yup. Somewhat gothic inspired and totally diggin it. Anyway, I apologize for the lenghty post, but I think it was kind of needed, in the efforts to make myself clear while also bringing in the new year. And what with my newfound freedom, you'll once again be hearing a lot more boom from the Dynamite. So there you have it, Happy New Year. May you find joy and happiness in your everyday, and remember that love and laughter are our true successes in life. Cheers!


(all photos with the exception of #1 and #2 were taken from google images. no copyright infringement intended.)

My So–Called Blog

Readers, friends, family, and the like, I apologize. Life has me on a leash, and rather than letting me heel next to it comfortably, I've been thrown and whipped and yanked around like the last car on a roller coaster for the past two months. In October I started cosmetology school (a.k.a. beauty boot camp) at the Cinta Aveda Institute in San Francisco. It is KICKING MY ASS, and taking up most, if not all of my time. So how is it that I am able to update my blog on a Thursday night when I should be in school? Simple. I wasn't 'allowed' to attend school today. Yeah, that's right. I was rejected. Thanks to Bart (Bay Area 'Rapid' Transit), I was five minutes behind schedule, and therefore TWO minutes late for school. I didn't realize I was two minutes late until I got all the way to class, out of breath and gasping for air, where my instructor announced in front of all of my classmates that I had to leave (school policy says if you are late you are sent home. What a bitch.). Soooo needless to say, I have some free time this evening.

Being the school reject today left me feeling kind of morose, and I think my outfit sort of reflected my sour mood. Aaron calls it the 'My So–Called Life' outfit, which I'm totally stoked on, because that show is absolutely amazing, and I pretty much WAS Angela Chase in high school. It's really nothing special, just a plaid button up over A LOT of black, a cloche hat, and of course, my Docs. Always gotta wear the Docs when I'm feeling blue. Anyway, I wanted to share the outfit because of it's 'title', appropriately coined by Aaron.



Meh. Simple and Sweet.

Since I have been away for such a long time, I also thought it'd be cool to share with you some things I'm totally diggin right now, in no particular order:

1.) Multi–colored, chipped nail polish (I'm serious). Lately I have started to purchase various colors of nail polish and paint each one of my nails a different color. One day I thought to myself, 'I'm such an off beat, artistically unique person, why doesn't my nail polish reflect that?' So I decided to change my routine of solid, same color nails and just paint each nail whatever color I want. Sometimes three nails are the same color, and the other two are a different color. I don't know. I'm moody. My image should reflect that, in my fashionable opinion. 'But chipped?!' you ask. Yes. Chipped. I can't really give you one reason why, but I think it has to do with my mother hating when I had chipped nails growing up. It's the child in me, I guess. Plus I think chipped nails have a tiny way of saying 'I don't give a fuck.'



2.) Messy, BIG hair. The bigger, the better. The messier, the merrier. Enough said.

3.) Accessories. LOTS of them. You know that saying 'always take one thing off before leaving the house'? Fuck that. Put three more things on. Bracelets, belts, necklaces, scarves, rings, hats, colorful eyeshadow (duh), colorful nails (duh), bright lipgloss, most anything except earrings (not crazy about earrings... weird eh? no. not really). Anyway. I am a human christmas tree and proud of it.

4.) These boots:



5.) These boots:



6.) This bag:


7.) Punk Rock. The older, the better. Lately I have kinda been jonesing for more old school punk music in my life (good thing I'm engaged to a boy who could eat the stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner). I don't know.. it's so... refreshing? And... um... hella good? I'm kinda tired of the 'have you heard this band?' 'do you know this band?' 'have you heard this one song?' game. No. I haven't. And if I hear it I will probably wish I hadn't. Don't get me wrong, I still love my little floaty, fluffy, dreamy indie bands, but my newly re–kindled love affair with punk rock is growing at a rapid rate. Aaron was playing Cock Sparrer on iTunes the other night and I could not have been happier with the selection.

8.) That's all (well... all for today.. tomorrow I'll probably be stoked about something else).

I miss you, readers. I miss writing. I miss shelling out my blunt opinions for you to love and hate and laugh and scoff at.. but I guess life sometimes gets in the way of things. Maybe every now and again I will find a little chance to keep the Dynamite alive, but until then, watch more Punky Brewster.

Put A Bow On It.

Not to be confused with a semi-popular phrase coined by a semi-popular television show, the title of this post actually pertains to a dear friend of mine, Krystle Willhite, who designs and makes amazing bows for hair, clothing, shoes, you name it. She designs for adults and children and she has so many different assortments and styles that anyone could wear them.. all you have to do is tell her what your style is! Or even better, show her. She also personalizes bows for her clients by adding photo buttons to them (for example, photos of loved ones, pets, friends, family, etc.)... so cute!! A couple of weeks ago she asked me if I would like her to make me some bows as a gift, and I responded with an overwhelming YES!!! She lives in Southern California, I live in the Bay Area, so you can imagine my beeline for the mailbox everyday until they arrived. Take a peek:








Super adorable, right? I simply had to share with you! If you would like more information on Krystle's bow-making skillz and are interested in buying some of your own, visit her facebook page Bow It Up. Also, if you make and/or design awesome stuff, please let me know! I would love to showcase your work on my blog. And thank you, Krystle, for bringing more explosive arrays of style to Wrapped in Dynamite!

I did this myself.

I've never really been a big fan of the whole D.I.Y. acronym explosion on the Internet. For some reason it's always bugged me. I mean, what's so hard about saying 'do it yourself?' We really need a shortcut for that? I guess it's catchy and cute and current or whatever, but I'll just stick with using big girl words. That being said, I made a vest the other day. I was going through some old jackets of mine and I came across a pink denim jacket that I bought at Target probably 8 years ago. I thought to myself, 'Why do I never wear this jacket? It's adorable! Oh, that's right. The arms fit funny.' And they do.. er.. did. They were super bulky and had elastic wrists. Ew. But the body of the jacket is adorable, and not being able to part with it I decided to be crafty and turn it into a vest. I even sat for about an hour and a half carefully and diligently sewing two heart patches that I made out of an old tee-shirt I never wear on the back of the vest... you know, to add some spunk. Rock and roll, everyone. May you find your inner vest.

Two in one.

Today I am going to address not one, but two topics in my blog post. Whoa folks, watch out, Dynamite's gettin craaaaazy. No but seriously, I have two awesome topics to share (well, awesome to me), so rather than sharing each of them in separate posts, why not put them together? The more, the merrier, as they say.

Anyway. The first part of this post will be about hair (boys, you may want to sit out on this one). The second part of this post will be about outfits. That being said, let's get started.

Hair. I have hair. I have A LOT of hair. And it doesn't look awesome because I wake up in the morning with birds and deer hanging out in my bedroom and a fairy godmother sprinkling 'awesome hair dust' on my head. Nope. I have to work for this rad mop. I have a good amount of people asking me fairly regularly how I get my hair to look the way it does. Seeing as I don't have the money (and never will) to get my hair professionally done every day, I have to do it myself. It really isn't that difficult. It can be tedious, but over time I've gotten used to working with my hair, so in my opinion, styling my hair is easy. And if you have the tools and the know how, styling your hair can be easy too.

Here's what you need:

1.) A flat iron. A GOOD flat iron. Not one you bought at CVS or Target, but one you purchased online, at a beauty store, or at a salon. Yes, I know I talk about how poor I am all the time, but some things are worth the investment. My flat iron is a Sedu. It's amazing, and I've had it for 3 years. Still works like I bought it today.

2.) A fine tooth comb. NOT A BRUSH. Not in this case. A fine tooth comb separates each strand of your hair individually so the hair will trap more heat with the straightener. Blah blah blah, yeah. Just trust me on this.

3.) Hairspray. I use TRESemme Extra Hold. I love it because it adds volume and holds my hair in place for a long ass time without making it super stiff. Also, it's cheap.

4.) That's it.

So take a look at this 'before' photo, right after a thorough blow dry:

Wah wah. Yeah. No fairy godmothers or forest friends in sight. Just a frizzy, flat, sad mop.

On to the transformation process:

1.) You MUST make sure that you blow dry your hair thoroughly, like, to the point of it catching on fire. Ok that's a bit of a stretch but there should be absolutely NO moisture in your hair when you're done blow drying. If you touch parts of your hair and they still feel 'cool', then you aren't finished. This is crucial because when you straighten your hair, if there is any moisture in it at all, your hair will not hold the heat, and will be frizzy or wavy or curly again once you step outside.

2.) Comb out your hair with your fine tooth comb.

3.) Separate your hair into layers and flat iron each layer (the length of your hair depends on how many layers you will need to separate). I separate my hair into three layers and start from the bottom. I secure each layer with a bobby pin so it stays in place and doesn't get in the way of the hair I am straightening. Also, bobby pins are better for your hair than elastic.

4.) Flat iron about two to three inch sections of your hair. But before you do this, comb out each section (again), with your comb. This will make for a more thorough and accurate process. And your hair will straighten better then ever.

5.) TEASE PLEASE. Yup, ya gotta tease your hair. After you are finished flat ironing your first layer, tease it. You do this by also separating your hair into about two or three inch sections, holding the sections out and teasing the base of your hair, starting outward and going inward towards your roots. When you are done teasing a section, take your hairspray and spray at the roots of said section. BE CAREFUL. DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY. Yes, you want volume, but you don't want to end up resembling a ridiculous scene chick like this (it's like a dumpster exploded in a candy store and this was the end result):


6.) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each layer of hair you have sectioned off. Smooth out with your fingers any strays that you don't want, and re-straighten any sections that have become a little 'moody' during the whole teasing process.

7.) Bangs. Almost forgot to include the bangs. Bangs are important. I like to do my bangs first, when all my hair is separated into layers, because it's easier to straighten and style them. I treat my bangs just like I would a section of hair when I am flat ironing and teasing. The only difference is, I do NOT spray them at the roots. I just use my fingers after styling to brush my bangs into place and I lightly spray the top of them.

8.) When all is said and done, you gotta spray some more. When you are happy with your hairstyle and feel that the straightening and teasing process is complete, take your hairspray and spray a light coat all over your hair. This will hold the style into place (remember what I said? The hairspray I use does not make your hair stiff, it holds the style perfectly while still allowing movement).

Voila. I am my own fairy godmother.

So yeah. There you go. You want sweet hair? You gotta be dedicated and patient enough to achieve it. Or just be naturally awesome. In which case, I hate you (except I really love you).

Let's take a break (boys, if you even got this far, I commend you, and I also apologize for most of this post being about hair. But most of my readers are females, and, well, a lot of females love to talk about hair. Deal with it).

For your viewing pleasure:

Aww, look at her. We could all use a little Punky Power.

Back on track.

Outfits. Outifts are fun. They can also be tricky. Enter my hot pink shorts I found at Goodwill (see previous posts). What the hell do I wear with them? This is the predicament I ran into yesterday, when I had an overwhelming urge to sport them. So I stared into my closet for quite awhile, and then I stared some more, and finally I came up with two options, both involving the same accessories and shoes, but different tops. The result? Two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT outfits. Amazing. I'm always talking about how accessories and shoes can completely transform an outfit, (and they can), but by merely changing the shirt and nothing else, I had two completely different looks to choose from. This problem can often occur when you have rad and versatile accessories that totally carry the outfit. Anyway, I thought I'd snap some photos of both of the outfits so you could see for yourselves:

Outfit #1: This one is super feminine. The flowy floral tank makes the outfit super soft and girly. Like, I should put a basket on my bike and fill it with daisies and kittens sorta shit.

This is Outfit #2: Big difference, eh? Recognize the shirt? ;o) A bit tougher and a bit more rough around the edges (ok, I'm not gonna go around starting any bar fights, but in this outfit I think I'll leave my kittens and daisies at home and put a boom box on my bike instead of a basket). Nothing has changed but the shirt. The shoes and accessories are all the same as in the previous outfit.

Outfit details:
Shoes: Bronze T-Strap Flats, Crossroads Trading Co.
Accessories: Gold Bangles, Target. Turquoise Ring, Flea Market.
Shirt in Outfit #1: Flowy Floral Racerback Tank, Urban Outfitters (circa 2007).
Shirt in Outfit #2: My boyfriend's 'Adicts' tee-shirt, originally purchased at a show by his ex-girlfriend (no hate, just fact), now stolen by me, his current girlfriend.

This is what I am talking about, people. You have to work with what you have. Don't have money to run to your local boutique and pick out a smashing outfit for your friend's birthday party? BE CREATIVE. It's easy. It's fun. And you know what? You won't run the risk of showing up somewhere, wearing the exact same shit as someone else.

Oh, what outfit did I pick, you ask? Let's just say I'm going to start searching my local thrift stores for a boom box. :)

Love you all. Thanks for reading. You're rad.

Super fly flea market finds.

Ooooh yeah. You know what that means. It means coming home after a fun-filled day at the flea market, sitting down, and breathing out a happy sigh of excitement, satisfaction, and relief. Does the feeling sound familiar? I experienced this euphoric bliss on Sunday, when my boyfriend and I decided to take advantage of the absolutely amazing weather here in the Bay Area and ride our bikes all around Oakland and (some of) Berkeley. Our first stop was the Ashby Flea Market, one of my favorite 'beautiful weather' spots.

During the visit I scored three items (not a lot, I'm a frugal girl): peacock feather earrings, a gorgeous greenish/turquoise-ish ring (my boyfriend bought me the ring because I loved it so much when I saw it.. such a fucking sweetheart!) and pink wayfarers. The vendor who sold us the ring told me it was 'old turquoise'. Hmmm... not sure if that's true but I'll go ahead and believe him because it sounds cool to tell people 'Oh you like my ring? Thanks! It's old turquoise.' You know, like it was handed down from my great-great grandmother or something.

Anyway, the earrings were a surprise purchase too. When I walked past the vendor who was selling them, the bright, vivid color of the peacock feathers immediately caught my attention, and I made a beeline straight for them. They are a little more unique than your typical peacock/any kind of feather earrings (you know, the ridiculously long frayed ones that eeeevery budding 'hipster' chick dons), and, well, I've always adored peacock feathers. Also, I felt like my more simple, casual outfit needed a kick in the accessory department. I thought to myself 'this is exactly the kick I need!' So I asked the vendor 'How much?' His reply, 'Five dollars'. Done. He had me at five dollars.

Oh and the pink wayfarers? Who doesn't love pink wayfarers? That's all.



I think this was my favorite booth at the flea market, if you can even call it a 'booth'. While I didn't buy anything from this particular spot, I was in awe of how beautiful every single item was. When I stepped inside it felt like I was in a different world.. or at least a different country. The way everything was set up was completely breathtaking. I had to snap a photo (or two).


This was where I got my ring! (I see you, ring!) Such beautiful stuff.. I wanted it all.


This photo doesn't do the color of the sunglasses justice. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the camera to capture the pink just right. Oh well. You get the idea.


So to all my flea market lovers who scour your little hearts out every weekend (or when your budget and work schedule allow it) in search of the perfect item to make your day a happy one, this post is for you. Scour on, comrades!