Month: October 2012

geek style

D.I.Y. Minnie Mouse Costume

Nina Penalosa7 Comments

Minnie Mouse is by far one of the easiest costumes a lady can put together for Halloween — especially at the last minute (like what I did last year)! All you really need is a good pair of mouse ears, cute accessories, and fancy duds. Or casual duds. Whatever interpretation of Minnie you want to do is fine with me!

Keep in mind that Minnie Mouse doesn’t neccesarily equate to red & white polka dotted dresses and skirts. The girl has other colored dresses and bows, y’know? Earlier this year I bought a pair of Minnie Mouse ears at the Disney Store that came with 4 different detachable bows — a floral print, white with little pink dots, pink with big white dots, and a glittery silver bow. In case you’re wondering I bought it for Disneyland purposes. It’s no longer available there, but they do sell all kinds of mouse ear things on the Disney Store website. Or if you’re super crafty there are tons of tutorials on how to make your own ears, like this one I found on YouTube.

I based my costume around the floral bow and came up with this:

outfit details:

  • Ears: Disney Store
  • Cardigan: Target
  • Peter Pan collar necklace: YesStyle
  • Dress: H&M
  • Shoes: American Rag
  • Ring & Bracelet: I have no idea. o,0

For the costume party I went to on Friday I wore black tights with a long sleeve black shirt underneath my dress just to get the full Minnie Mouse effect, but for this blog’s shoot I ditched the tights and undershirt because I was lazy (at least I’m honest). I got my dress at H&M last year because it makes me feel like a princess. Wee! I think every girl should have something in their closet that makes them feel regal. Anywho, I got the cardigan at Target eons ago, the Peter Pan collar necklace is from YesStyle, and the t-strap heels are by American Rag, which I got last year.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to Minnie Mouse! You can pretty much put any cute outfit together, throw on Minnie-esque accessories (I think Minnie is a pearl kind of girl), some mouse ears, and call it a day! Black nose is optional, but please, please please, do not draw whiskers on your face. I don’t understand why some girls who dress up as Minnie Mouse draw whiskers on their face when Minnie doesn’t even have them. You know she gets that ish waxed!

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween tomorrow!!!

Cheers,
Nina

PS: To all on the east coast, stay safe!

PPS: This post will be submitted to IFB’s Halloween Project. Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

geek style · pup life

Barks & Rec.

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

My fluffy baby Rory is going to be graduating from his beginners class at Petsmart next week! But he has to pass the evaluation test first — meaning he needs to perform all the commands we’ve been teaching him for the past 5 weeks perfectly. No pressure whatsoever. For the most part, Rory’s a good dog, but sometimes he doesn’t like to listen and gets overly excited around other pups. In class he’s known as “the mean one” or “fiesty one” which makes me really sad because he’s so fuggin’ sweet… just not around other dogs. Rory’s also the only boy in the class and the eldest at 15 months (I think the youngest pup in the class is 5 months old). I really should’ve enrolled him early on, but TARDISes (what is the plural for TARDIS?) and time turners don’t exist, so oh well.

Before his class last Thursday, my friends and I took him out to the park for a walk. Or rather, he took Jen for a walk (he doesn’t have that loose-leash walking down quite yet). Fresh air seemed to be all he needed since he did super awesome in class that night!

And since I wore a cute outfit to work that day, we did some OOTD (outfit of the day) shots around the park. But it was soooo windy and the lighting was off pretty much everywhere, I ended doing a few shots at home (full outfit shot is down below).

While trying to get rid of clothes I don’t wear often, I came across this hot air balloon dress by American Rag in my closet that I haven’t worn since my trip to Disneyland in May. I forced myself to make an outfit around it because I didn’t like the thought of not having it in my closet. :/ Both my earrings and necklace are second-hand purchases. I got my teal crystal earrings at the Lodi Street Faire just in time for prom! I was into teal a lot back then. And when I say “back then” I mean 8 years ago. Yikes! I found my necklace at the local flea market last year. It’s a fragrance locket, or perfume necklace. I’m not sure what to call it, but the inside of it contains some nasty scented wax. The gold cigar band ring was given to me by my super stylish grandma (super stylish grandma can be seen here). And my navy and purple cuff is from the Coach outlet store. Yay outlets!

outfit details:

  • dress: American Rag
  • cardigan: Old Navy
  • necklace: flea market find
  • earrings: street market find
  • ring: my grandma gave it to me!
  • bracelet: Coach
  • boots: Madden Girl
  • tights: Hue

I’m assuming there will be Halloween parties this weekend, so I hope you all have fun and be safe (of course)! I dressed up as Minnie Mouse for my co-worker’s costume/going-away party last night, so I shall post pictures of my costume in the upcoming days. And if you’re not doing anything festive this weekend, I hope you have fun as well!

Cheers,
Nina ❤

geek style

London Calling

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

I love Disney.

I love It’s a Small World (Mary Blair, helloooo!).

I love LeSportsac.

So when LeSportsac debuted their It’s a Small World line over the summer I went ballistic! However,  I never managed to get anything from their summer or fall line *wah wah*, but after seeing what their winter collection holds I have decided that I. MUST. HAVE. ONE. Or two. Because it’s all London-centric!

The ‘Fancy That’ print (shown below) features tons iconic London staples such as Big Ben, double decker buses, red call boxes, the London Bridge, tower guards, corgis, hearts with Union Jacks, and chic little girls clad in cute trenches in true Mary Blair style. The bags also come with an adorable charm — or as my mom likes to call them: “the essence of the bag.” The essence is a little raven-haired girl wearing a khaki trench with pink tights and mary janes.

‘Fancy That’ bags will be available in November.

photo courtesy of LeSportsac
photo courtesy of LeSportsac
photo courtesy of LeSportsac

LeSportsac just had to go and make the ‘Midnight Harmony’ tote as well. I’m completely enamored by it because of the beautiful skyline motif, and it reminds me of Mary Blair’s gorgeous concept art for the original attraction. And this bag comes with a little yellow haired girl wearing a red trench with blue tights and mary janes.

The ‘Midnight Harmony’ tote comes out in December. One month before my birthday, how convenient! *hint hint*

Mary Blair concept art courtesy of Mary Blairz: Mary Blair Small World City

 

geek style

Preppy Sith

Nina Penalosa4 Comments

Sometimes I like to make subtle nods to my geekdom in any outfit I wear, like with an accessory that reminds me of something from Doctor Who or a Disney character. Other times I’m very abrasive about it. Case in point, the Star Wars outfit I threw together when I went to San Francisco with my two best friends last Saturday. I’m usually all for the good guys and underdogs, but when it comes to Star Wars I can’t help but be drawn to the dark side of the force.

I don’t know what that says about me as a person. o_0

I found the Darth Vader pullover in H&M’s mens section a couple years ago. When I saw it, I felt like I couldn’t leave the store unless it came home with me… despite the fact that the money I spent on it should’ve gone to groceries. Speaking of groceries, the Stormtrooper ring I wore with this outfit was found on a cupcake from a grocery store! I seriously only bought the cupcake for the ring. Best $1.99 I ever spent! The collared shirt I’m wearing underneath my pullover was purchased at Marshall’s when I was a freshman in high school. I graduated in 2004, so that shirt is pretty fuggin old. I got my grey pleated skirt on sale at the Gap earlier this year during my local stores’ “Going Out of Business” sale. *cries* Stockton can’t have nice things, EVER! At least we have Dillards — it’s the only store location in California! My Kate Spade typewriter purse was given to me as a graduation present from my mom and dad last year. It is easily the coolest purse I own. And now a little Arpakasso (or Alpakasso) guy dangles from it. Jen bought it for me while we were in Japantown as a super early birthday present (my birthday isn’t until January). Since he’s wearing the German flag colors, I named him Han. 🙂

Our trip to SF was pretty awesome, despite the fact that my outfit shoot totally got interrupted by a mumbling crackhead. No, seriously. She was high and asked Shanice if she was a witch. She said some other things too, but they’re way too inappropriate for my blog! The picture above is the only decent shot that came from the shoot pre crackhead. I suppose it’s for the best — it would’ve looked odd if I smiled while clad in Empire gear, right? But before that nonsense we stopped by Berkeley first for food, because that place is just full of delicious om noms like Top Dog! Then we headed to Japantown where I found a Tokidoki cardigan that had buttons that looked like donuts. DONUT BUTTONS. I damn near died from the kawaiiness of it all. Afterwards we hit up Haight Street so I could sell some DVDs at Amoeba (but I decided to keep them because they only offered me $8 in cash), then we ran into the crazy lady, and ate dessert at Akiba Cafe. They have waitresses that dress up like lolita maids, but there weren’t any when I went. Booo. We ended the day at Stonestown Galleria, which is right across SFSU. When I was a student there I found myself wandering around Stonestown before, inbetween, and after classes. I often went home with an empty stomach and new shirt (or dress, or sweater, or whatever).

And that was my day, and that was my outfit. Hope you all have a great weekend! ❤

—

outfit details:

  • Collared shirt: Express
  • Pullover: H&M
  • Skirt: Gap
  • Boots: Madden Girl
  • Purse: Kate Spade w/an Alpakasso keychain
  • Ring: I got it from a cupcake at the grocery store 🙂
geek style · the reel world

Moonrise Kingdom

Nina Penalosa1 Comment

Mod Cloth is currently having a contest to put together an outfit inspired by Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, which happens to be one of my favorite movies of the year! The winner gets a gift certificate to Mod Cloth and a BluRay copy of the movie. Since I loved Moonrise Kingdom soooo much, I thought I’d enter the contest. 😀

Here’s what I came up with:

Moonrise Kingdom

The contest ends tomorrow (Friday, 19 Oct), so if you’re interested in entering, go HERE for more details.

And if you’re not familiar with Moonrise Kingdom, it was written by Anderson and Roman Coppola, and the film is set off the coast of New England during the 1960s, and follows Sam and Suzy, pair of 12-year olds who have fallen in love with each other. They make a secret pact to meet up and run away into the wilderness together. Shenanigans occur as a search party consisting of the local sheriff, Suzy’s parents, and a troop of Khaki Scouts look for them, and the oncoming storm doesn’t help them much either. It’s hilarious, adorable, witty, and happens to be out on DVD/Blu Ray right now, so you should totally check it out!

I absolutely loved Suzy’s outfits, with her knee high socks and saddle shoes and cute dresses. Who knew women all over would be looking to a 12-year old for fashion inspiration? I sure as hell didn’t dress as well as Suzy when I was her age. Then again, I grew up in the 90s. o__0

[photos courtesy of Focus Features]

geek style

Autumn Attire

Nina Penalosa4 Comments

I started this blog with the intention of documenting my cute ensembles, but it gets awfully tiring taking pictures of yourself! It also doesn’t help when you gain weight and all your cute clothes don’t fit the way they used to. *Wah wah wah* I’m working on that though! And I’ve been getting back into the swing of things clothes-wise too. I came up with this outfit for the Grizzly Bear show I attended on Tuesday.

Outfit details:

A few people complimented my outfit and told me my color palette was very fall-like. It wasn’t my intention when I threw it together, but I suppose the sudden change in weather inspired me. I thought I looked a bit more like a walking thrift store as some of my pieces remind of things that could be found in one — my bird shirt from H&M (I found it in the dude section!) looks like a page from a vintage encyclopedia, the pattern of my skirt has a retro vibe going on, and my jewelry from Grouse and Badger are made from upcycled bits like typewriters, watches, and old keys. I also found my Steve Madden boots at the American Cancer Society’s secondhand store. I’m not sure how old the Louis Vuitton bag is, but my mom has had it since I was kiddie (I think)!

My reed bracelet (pictured below, which I hijacked from my boyfriend) is from an organization called Invisible Children. They’re handmade in Uganda and 100% of the proceeds support “civilian protection and the rehabilitation of children abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army” in Africa. You can read more about their mission statement here. The bracelets come in different colors and each one represents a different child, and they also come with a DVD to see the kids’ story! I have yet to watch a DVD… perhaps I should ask my boyfriend if I can borrow one, as he basically bought a bracelet in every color.  🙂

Fin.

Uncategorized

Nearly Hibernating Grizzly Bear

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Last night Tim took me to see one his favorite bands, Grizzly Bear, at the Fox Theater in Oakland! I’m not completely familiar with their catalog, but I’ve heard some of their music prior to the show and I dig it. Their latest studio album Shields came out last month, so they’ve been touring to support it.

I felt really bad though because I got really sleepy in the middle of their set. It’s not that I found them boring or anything of that nature (I think they’re an awesome live band!), but it didn’t help that some of their songs were on the mellow side. I felt my head bob a few times willing to take my body into complete submission, but I fought it! I suppose if I happen to wake up at 5:30 am the day I’m going to a concert, I should find some time to take a power nap beforehand. The woman I stood by was completely immersed in the music, making elaborate gestures as if she was conducting the band; she was also drunk by way of 4 cups of Stella Artois, but I was still quite envious of her energy as I struggled to remain conscious.

Here’s my favorite song, “Yet Again”, off their new album:

Despite my sleepiness, I had a good time at the show. 🙂

geek style

Thoroughly Modern Mary

Nina Penalosa4 Comments
photo courtesy of BBC/PBS

I can’t help but love Mary Crawley, the bitch with the heart of gold, from Downton Abbey. At first I really abhorred her — she was rather snide and vain. But she became a lot more bearable (kind, even) in the second series, and then I found myself rooting for her and Cousin Matthew like a crazy fangirl! And I have totally developed a full-on lady crush on Michelle Dockery. How can you not? JUST LOOK AT HER. SHE’S SO CLASSY.

Besides the fact that the show is rich in delicious scandal, I love the costumes the actors get to wear! No doubt they’re probably painful, but damn, do they look ever so snazzy. I particularly love Sybil and Mary’s ensembles. I stumbled upon Society 6‘s collection of Nan Lawson‘s art (I LOVE HER!) on t-shirts  and her Lady Mary tee inspired me to create a modern Mary-esque outfit centered around it on Polyvore.

Here’s what I came up with:

Modern Mary

Some things are on the way too pricey (and how-the-hell-am-I-supposed-to-get-this-if-it’s-in-Europe?) side, but besides that I think this outfit turned out quite cute. 🙂

photo courtesy of Fancy French Cologne

I’m also loving this silk heirloom scarf by Kelsey Garrity-Riley. I find that it’s too pretty to wear, so I’d probably frame it.

Series 3 of Downton Abbey started not too long ago in the UK. Us Yanks have to wait until January for it to air on PBS. *cries* I CAN’T WAIT!!!

pup life · the reel world

Frankenweenied

Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Tim Burton’s latest movie Frankenweenie doesn’t come out until this Friday, but for now we can all upload photos of our beloved fur babies and give them a ghoulish makeover to hold us over!

Rory ended up looking like a patchwork sea creature.

I had so much fun making Rory’s, I decided to do one for my boyfriend’s cat, Eevee. 🙂

You can Frankenweenie-fy your pet –> here