Month: August 2013

giveaway

Back to School LeSportsac Giveaway #1 Winner!

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

20130831-180722.jpg

So sorry for the delay in picking a winner for my first Back to School LeSportsac Giveaway, my little ponies! My printer is being a butthead again, so I wrote down each and every valid entry on a piece of paper, cut them up, stuck them in a bowl, mixed them up, and pulled out the name of the lucky winner and that was Emily Hall!

Congratulations, Emily!!! Please email within 48 hours with your address so I can ship your LeSportsac bag to you.

Thank you to all who entered and thank you to LeSportsac for providing the lovely Heather Hobo to giveaway to my readers!

You all still have one more chance to win another LeSportsac bag from me, so don’t forget to check out the latest giveaway here 🙂

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · giveaway

Back to School LeSportsac Giveaway #2

Nina Penalosa69 Comments

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED! 

Hey my little ponies! <– I’m calling you folks my little ponies now because I like ponies better than kitties. Thank you to all who entered my first Back to School LeSportsac Giveaway! I will be picking a winner SOON — hopefully I can sit down after I get off work today and print out the entries, cut them up, fold them, shuffle them,  pick one out of a hat, and then announce the winner tonight! I’m so sorry to keep those who entered in suspense. I’ll get on it. I promise!

In the meantime, the second and last Back to School LeSportsac giveaway will be for this hella cute Messenger Backpack in their funky “Giddy Up” print!

This backpack is EXTREMELY versatile as it can also be used as a messenger bag! Sling it over your back or over one shoulder — this bag can be used however you want. When I took it out of the box I thought, “Oh, that’s a cute messenger bag.” Then I started playing around with the straps and was like, “HOLY CRAP IT’S A BACKPACK TOO!” I failed to see that LeSportsac had mentioned it in the email they sent me. Derp. It was still a delightful surprise though and it’s roomy to boot which is always important! There are two pockets in the front of the bag when you open it up — perfect for storing things that you need easy access too. There’s also a side pocket which I’d probably put a little compact and chapstick in (because who wants chapped lips at school or anywhere for that matter?), or even a pen. Do you ever find yourself digging for a pen when you suddenly need one? Like when you need to write something down, or if someone asks for a writing utensil to jot a quick note? That little pocket will save you from digging! The larger pocket is great for holding a few books for an English class, an iPad or laptop (best to hold a laptop in if you’re using it as a backpack), notebook, and other essentials. There’s also another zip pocket on the back of the inside of the bag to store other small items. I personally like it best as a messenger bag, but I do love that this bag gives you another option (and one that’s good for your back and shoulders!). 🙂

Like the last giveaway, you’re more than welcome to enter whether you’re in school this semester or not 😀

But let’s lay down the ground rules…

In order to enter you MUST be a Le Fancy Geek reader. New and old readers may enter this giveaway!

For entries:

  • Subscribe to the blog and leave a comment saying that you did. You can do so by either following me via WordPress or by entering your email address on the right side of the blog where it says “subscribe.” If you’re already a subscriber just leave a comment and say that you already do follow me!
  • Follow me on Bloglovin’ and leave a comment letting me know you did.
  • “Like” the Le Fancy Geek page on Facebook and leave a comment with your name (on this post, not on the FB page).
  • Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter name.
  • Tweet “I just entered @lefancygeek’s Back to School @lesportsac bag giveaway!!!” <– must be that exact same wording. Leave a comment letting me know you Tweeted with your Twitter name!
  • Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment with your Instagram name.
  • Follow me on Chictopia and leave a comment with your username.
  • Follow me on Pinterest and leave a comment letting me know you did with your username.
  • “Like” the LeSportsac page on Facebook and leave a comment with your name (on this post, not on their FB page).
  • Follow LeSportsac on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you did with your Twitter name.
  • Follow LeSportsac on Instagram and leave a comment letting me know you with your Instagram name.

There are a total of 11 entries. Please leave ONE comment per each way you follow me and LeSportsac.

DO NOT lump all the ways you follow me or LeSportsac into one comment as that will only count as ONE entry.

For new readers, please do not follow and then unfollow after the giveaway ends. That’s hella rude!

You have until Monday September 9 Friday September 13,  12am PST to enter. Winner will be picked at random.

Giveaway open to readers in the US and Canada. Sorry international readers! Shipping overseas is too expensive for me at this time :(

Cheers & Good Luck!!!
♡ Nina

PS: A big GIGANTIC “thank you” to LeSportsac once again for making both of the giveaways possible. You’re the bestest!

FTC disclosure: LeSportsac sent this bag to me to review and giveaway to my readers. All opinions stated are my own.

geek style

Chicken Little

Nina Penalosa18 Comments

outfit details – chicken pullover + earrings: ModCloth (no longer available) // dress: Xhileration (buy here) // flower: Icing (buy similar here) // ring: gift from my aunt // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here) // flats: Report // watch: Timex x Disney // purse: LeSportsac (buy similar here)

Ever since Sunday night I’ve shifted into full-on teenybopper mode thanks to *NSYNC’s brief but oh-so-magical reunion on the VMAs! I’ve been bumpin’ No Stings Attached in my car and watching old concert footage on YouTube, and even though my sister lives all the way in San Diego, we’ve been fangirling together via text. 😀 I really wish they’d get back together for a reunion tour, but Justin Timberlake’s solo career seems to have gotten way too successful for anything like that to happen. *le sigh* I’ll just keep on wishing and hoping!

Anyhow, look at my uber cute chicken sweater! I saw it on ModCloth awhile ago and felt that I MUST have it because it’s stupid adorable and because I call Tim “Chickens” all the time. Also, there was only one more in stock and it happened to be my size — ’twas meant to be! And I know… you’re thinking, “Why the hell do you call your boyfriend Chickens? Weirdo.” It’s an odd nickname to bestow upon your beau, I realize that, but its origins come from when I used to have an Android phone and whenever I tried to swype “boyfriend” into a text message it would autocorrect to “chickens.” Tim’s been Chickens ever since. 🙂

Do you have any silly nicknames for your significant other or best friend?

Cheers,
Nina

PS: Tomorrow’s the last day to enter to win a bag from my Back to School LeSportsac giveaway! Don’t forget to enter!

geek style

Neutral at Heart

Nina Penalosa7 Comments

outfit details – cardigan: H&M // dress & belt: Xhileration (buy dress here) // necklace: made by me! // watch: Timex x Disney // bracelet: someone in one of my high school ceramic teacher’s classes lost it so he let me have it // shoes: Blowfish // glasses: Brooks Brothers (buy here)

Green and pink are one of my most favorite color combinations… and I’m totally sensing deja vu after typing that because I feel like I might have written this before on a previous post…? If so, oh well. It’s worth mentioning again because it’s pretty damn spiffy! I remember the color duo first catching my eye from Sailor Jupiter, my favorite Sailor Scout! I was into Sailor Moon quite a bit in 5th grade, but getting up at 5am to watch it became a gruesome task and I just kind of fell to the wayside from the bandwagon. I’m definitely curious to see how the reboot’s going to turn out though!

And speaking of reboots, I’m attempting to reboot a few things in my own life. I gained even more weight last month due to eating all my feels after my grandpa passed away, so I’ve been trying to kick my ass into shape by either walking Rory, hula hooping for 15 minutes, or doing Jillian Michael’s yoga workout. I’m also going to be changing up my Etsy store by adding new types of necklaces, and I even changed its name. So Once Upon a Smorgasbord will now be known as Le Fancy Geek Boutique. I really liked the name Once Upon a Smorgasbord; I feel that it really fit in with my design aesthetic as I like to experiment with different kinds of materials, plus it contained an excellent vocab word! But when it comes down to it, it’s an awkward name and hard to remember. Le Fancy Geek Boutique has a nice ring to it and it ties in with my blog quite nicely too. I’ll be sure to make an announcement on here once the store is up and running again. 🙂

Oh, and I’m getting a haircut tomorrow! My hair is now past my bra line, and at first I was like, “Ooh, my hair is hella long. This is fantastic!” But it takes even longer than usual to dry my hair and my bangs are at that stage where a pro needs to step in and fix it. You can really tell in these photos too. Ack! I’m not doing anything drastic though (like cutting my hair at shoulder length like I did a couple years ago as seen here), I’m just getting 2 or 3 inches off.

Are any of you making any big or little changes in your life? And if you know of any good workout DVDs, let me know in the comments! 😀

Cheers,
Nina

PS: My furry costar in these outfit photos is Tim’s diggy, Brady! He decided to sit at my feet while Tim was taking pictures 🙂

PPS: Don’t forget to enter my Back to School LeSportsac giveaway!

giveaway

Firmoo Giveaway Winners!

Nina Penalosa2 Comments

firmoo winners

Hey kitties!

I’m so sorry for lagging on announcing the winners for my Firmoo giveaway, but two have been picked, so let’s get right down to it. The winners are *drumroll* . . . welkervonvelker29 and Adrian Quintana!!! I’ll be emailing you ladies shortly with codes to claim your glasses.

Thank you to everyone who entered and to Firmoo for sponsoring this giveaway 😀

And don’t forget to enter my Back to School LeSportsac giveaway, you have until August 28 to enter for a chance to win!

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · shoppin'

Wishful Wednesdays #4: I Don’t Wanna Grow Up

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

floral LeSportsac hobo // Neapolitan glasses // “Looking to Tomorrow” dress
Snow White iPhone case // “It’s a Small World” doll // Bass saddle shoes

Today’s Wishful Wednesdays post is filled with items that remind me of my childhood!

As you may know, I’m crazy for anything that has a floral print! Roses aren’t necessarily my most favorite flower, but my family’s house has always had a hot pink rose bush by the front door, so roses often remind me of home and Beauty & the Beast, naturally. And the shape of the bag may look familiar to you kitties — it’s LeSportsac’s Heather Hobo in their “Royal Rose” print, just like the one I’m giving away in this post! I felt my eyes widen in awe when I first saw this print debut a few months ago and I’ve been lusting after pretty much any of the bags they have in that print ever since.

One of my favorite ice cream flavors as a kid was Neapolitan because it had the best of 3 worlds: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry all in one! I first saw these adorable chocolate and strawberry wayfarers by Rivet & Sway on Diana’s blog Our City Lights about a year ago. One can never have too many glasses (Tim would totally disagree), so I hope to add these to my collection someday 🙂

This dress from ModCloth is called “Looking to Tomorrow” which is a clear nod to one of my favorite gingers, the lovable orphan Annie! I remember my Auntie Nelly bought the VHS (totally dating myself) for my sister and I and we watched it sooooo many times. Part of the reason why I love this dress is because if I were to wear it around it would be like a secret cosplay. All I need is a gold heart shaped locket from Tiffany’s and I’m good to go… except that sh!t is expensive so I’ll settle for something secondhand or faux vintage.

And this installment of Wishful Wednesdays wouldn’t be complete without any Disney items! The illustration of Snow White on this iPhone case is so pretty, and a perfect way wave my Disnerd flag all day, err’day. She was also one of my favorite princesses as a kid because she has black hair, and I have black hair (oh, vanity). The little can-can dancer doll is from Disney’s Animators Collection of Small World dolls. I’m stupid and didn’t pre-order it and now it’s sold out online. SACRE BLEAU!  I went to the Disney Store in Modesto yesterday and asked about them and the Cast Member told me that they haven’t heard anything about getting a shipment in. *le sigh* I want the french doll in particular because the can-can dancers were my favorite part of the ride when I was little. I loved them so much that my answer to the age old question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” was “a can-can dancer.” So the doll is basically a physical form of my childhood dreams and I WANT IT. Did I also mention that she sings “It’s a Small World” in French?

Rounding up my wish list are a pair of classic saddle shoes by Bass. I had a pink and white pair when I was in pre-school, and I recall passing by Stride Rite all the time and I kept saying how much I wanted the “50s shoes.” One day Auntie Nelly and my grandparents took me to get a pair, but they didn’t have black and white ones anymore so they brought the pink and white pair out for me. Unfortunately they were too tight, but I got them anyway — I started real young on the whole these-shoes-hurt-my-feet-but-they’re-so-cute-I’m-gonna-get-them-anyway trend that’s so popular among women. I insisted that they didn’t hurt because I did not want to leave without them! I’d like to think that I’m a bit wiser these days and only get shoes that semi-hurt if I know they’re going to be okay once I break them in (does that even make sense?).

What’s on your wish list these days, kitties?

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · giveaway

Back to School LeSportsac Giveaway #1

Nina Penalosa63 Comments

* Giveaway now closed. Thank you to all who entered! *

I’m super stoked to announce that this “Heather Hobo” from LeSportsac’s Fall 2013 collection is up for grabs in my latest giveaway! LeSportsac was kind enough to send me two bags to give away to my fantastical readers, so the next Back to School giveaway will be up right after the giveaway for this cute hobo bag ends in 10 days! I’ll get to the giveaway details in just a moment. First things first: let’s talk about the bag for a bit, shall we?

This “Heather Hobo” comes in a rusty light red bandana inspired print which is perfectly titled “Howdy.” The shade looks just a tad bit brighter in person than it does in the picture above, which I think looks better in my opinion. This is definitely the kind of bag I would’ve taken to class every now and then as it’s spacious enough to hold the essentials: a notebook, planner, pencil pouch, wallet, iPod/phone, book, etc. I always had a tendency to bring medium sized totes and purses to school just because I didn’t like carrying big bulky bags that were heavily loaded. But even if you do wind up putting more things inside it, there’s a convenient adjustable strap (which is beautifully embroidered and reminicent of a guitar strap) that you can throw over your body to avoid getting that whole one-shoulder-pain. Y’know what I’m talking about? That pain you get from those over-the-shoulder bags because you have too much crap in your bag? Crossbody bags are great for avoiding things like that, and this bag can be either/or since the adjustable strap can be taken off if you don’t want it there. YAY for versatility and convenience!!! There’s also a little pocket on the front of the bag which is perfect for placing your phone and chapstick for easy access. And there’s a couple of other pockets inside the bag as well. There’s no such thing as too much storage space for a bag!

Whether you’re back at school this semester or not, you’re more than welcome to enter this giveaway!

But let’s lay down some ground rules:

In order to enter you MUST be a Le Fancy Geek reader. New and old readers may enter this giveaway!

For entries:

  • Subscribe to the blog and leave a comment saying that you did. You can do so by either following me via WordPress or by entering your email address on the right side of the blog where it says “subscribe.” If you’re already a subscriber just leave a comment and say that you already do follow me!
  • Follow me on Bloglovin’ and leave a comment letting me know you did.
  • “Like” the Le Fancy Geek page on Facebook and leave a comment with your name (on this post, not on the FB page).
  • Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter name.
  • Tweet “I just entered @pink_apple’s Back to School @lesportsac bag giveaway on LeFancyGeek!!!” <– must be that exact same wording. Leave a comment letting me know you Tweeted with your Twitter name!
  • Follow me on Instagram and leave a comment with your Instagram name.
  • Follow me on Chictopia and leave a comment with your username.
  • Follow me on Pinterest and leave a comment letting me know you did with your username.
  • “Like” the LeSportsac page on Facebook and leave a comment with your name (on this post, not on their FB page).
  • Follow LeSportsac on Twitter and leave a comment letting me know you did with your Twitter name.
  • Follow LeSportsac on Instagram and leave a comment letting me know you with your Instagram name.

There are a total of 11 entries. Please leave ONE comment per each way you follow me and LeSportsac.

DO NOT lump all the ways you follow me or LeSportsac into one comment as that will only count as ONE entry.

For new readers, please do not follow and then unfollow after the giveaway ends. That’s hella rude!

You have until Wednesday August 28, 12am PST to enter. Winner will be picked at random.

Giveaway open to readers in the US and Canada. Sorry international readers! Shipping overseas is too expensive for me at this time 😩

Cheers,
Nina

FTC disclosure: LeSportsac sent this bag to me to review and giveaway to my readers. All opinions stated are my own.

geek style

Mad Men [in a Blue Box]

Nina Penalosa8 Comments

outfit details – dress: ModCloth (buy here)  // cardigan: Merona // belt: Xhileration // necklace: Once Upon a Smorgasbord // purse: H&M // Adipose keychain (buy here) // glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here) // shoes: Seychelles // ring: Zales (21st birthday present from parents)

Ever since I started watching Mad Men back in 2009 I’ve been utterly obsessed with Joan Holloway’s iconic pen necklace. My mom procured a silver necklace similar to it for me a few birthdays ago, but since I’ve become a full-fledged Whovian I couldn’t help but think of how rad it would be to have a Sonic Screwdriver necklace that’s reminiscent of Joan’s gold pen necklace. I came across a keychain that I could use as a pendent last year, and I finally got around to making it last month. Now I have a fancy Sonic Screwdriver necklace a la Joanie! I like to call it my “Mad Men [in a Blue Box]” necklace. And it looks perfect with my solar system dress (which was on the galactic Wishful Wednesdays post)! 🙂

This has quickly become one of my favorite outfits — I’m pretty sure I’ve worn it at least four times already. The dress is not only fantastic because of its stellar (ha… see what I did there?) print and cut, but its pockets. I HAS POCKETS! Pockets on dresses and skirts is seriously one of the best things ever, like chocolate chip cookies that are crunchy and chewy at the same time. Yes, those kinds of cookies do exist. You can find them at Cafe Rosso at SFSU. Anyhow, the pockets are convenient for holding my phone and chapstick, or for me to place my hands in when I don’t know what to do with them.

I love all the endless possibilities of incorporating my geeky fandoms with it too. With my necklace and TARDIS blue cardigan, this outfit is clearly a nod to Doctor Who. I also added my cute little Adipose keychain onto my purse for maximum Whoness! But I could also fix this up with some of my Star Wars accessories too. 😀

I have one extra Sonic Screwdriver to make another “Mad Men [in a Blue Box]” necklace, but I have a couple of custom orders to fulfill before I go on and make it. I’ll put up a listing for it on my Etsy store in the [maybe] nearby future though!

How do you incorporate your fandom into your everyday wardrobe?

Cheers,
Nina

geek style · out & about · shoppin'

Blogger Night at Old Navy

Nina Penalosa4 Comments

A few weeks ago I was invited to be part of Blogger Night at Old Navy’s Dublin, CA location where myself and a couple of other bloggers (Courtney of The Curious Commuter and Jesica of Ryzenberg On) were on hand to give style tips to customers and help them pick out outfits. We even got to style our own mannequins which was ridiculous amounts of fun (kind of stressful at first — I’ll digress in a bit)!

I arrived at the store a couple hours before the event to roam around and pick pieces for my mannequin and for my friend Caitlin. I found myself engulfed with anxiety because I was unsure of which direction to go — there were some vintage style Disney tees and I thought, “Do I rep my Disney Dorkness or go with something else?” I picked a Mickey Mouse shirt for Caitlin to try on and held onto it until I eventually found a skirt and cardigan for her to wear with it [pictured below], and ended up basing my mannequin’s outfit around this sweet olive military jacket that reminded me of Clara Oswald from Doctor Who. I was thrilled with the way my mannequin turned out and that I managed to get a geeky element on it. YAY!

My friend Amanda came over too and the three of us kept fangirling about Tom Hiddleston, so I decided I wanted to put Caitlin in a Loki inspired ensemble! At first I was walking around holding a kelly green shirt, but nixed it so I could use the military jacket again — totes appropriate since his fandom is referred to as “Loki’s Army.” I had fun (too much, me thinks) with accessories too. I found a gold necklace with a pointy pendent that was reminiscent to the horns on his helmet. I had layered on another necklace with some feathers — we reasoned that his brother has feathers on his helmet so it still made sense with the Loki theme. 🙂

And lastly, all the bloggers got to style Vivian (the lovely manager that invited me). I kept eyeballing these black and white printed shorts that I would totally wear if I felt comfortable rocking shorts, so I had Vivian put those on with a black cardi, aqua tank, and pastel accessories. I was happy to hear she ended up buying the shorts and top at the end of the day!

I had soooo much fun throwing these outfits together and meeting Courtney and Jesica. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back for the next Blogger Night and I hope to see some of you there too!

Le Fancy Geek mannequin’s outfit details – military jacket // taupe top // striped skirt (somewhat similar) // navy flats

Loki’s Army outfit details – military jacket // black cardigan // olive sequined tank // dark denim skinny jeans // metallic flats // accessories found @ Old Navy store locations

Mickey Mouse outfit details – cardigan // Mickey tee // floral a-line skirt // navy flats

Pastel outfit details – cardigan // aqua top // printed shorts // black ballet flats //accessories found @ Old Navy store locations

Cheers,
Nina

geek style

Wishful Wednesdays #3: Livin’ La Vida Loki

Nina Penalosa6 Comments

Loki hearts necklace // green satchel // Loki dress
Bifrosted Loki Charms t-shirt // Funko Pop! vinyl figure

Tom Hiddleston is what we fangirls like to call a “life ruiner.” As many of you know, he’s known for his portrayal of Loki, the god of mischief and Thor’s [adopted] baby bro in Thor and Marvel’s The Avengers. Hiddleston raises expectations of potential future mates sky high by being uber charming, extremely funny (have you seen the Loki’d video? Or him doing impressions of other people and a raptor?!), kind to his fans, and not to mention that he’s really, really, really, ridiculously good looking. I’m so glad I have Tim, otherwise I’d be a hot mess of a single lady since I’d probably have even higher expectations of a future-boyfriend because of Tom Hiddleston. That perfect bastard.

Ever since Comic-Con he jumped from #5 to #1 on my list of Top 5 celebrity crushes (sorry, John Krasinski)! I mean, how many ovaries exploded when this happened?:

So today’s Wishful Wednesdays post is ALL THINGS LOKI!!!

I did a little Loki search on Etsy and found so many awesome things! A couple of my favorite finds that I’ve been drooling over for the past week are the heart shaped Loki helmet necklace by FanFlail and dress by Couple Parel. I love the design of the pendant — I think it’s clever, elegant, and the perfect thing to wear to rep one’s love for Loki and show allegiance to his army.  And the dress. DAT DRESS. I keep creating different outfits for it in my head, I’m OBSESSED. And it’s only $16.99 (+ $8 for shipping)! Totally a decent a price!

The green satchel with gold accents is from Asos, and the only item on my list that’s not directly Loki-related. But in terms of color, he’s definitely represented. And how cute would it look with that dress? HELLA CUTE. That’s how cute. The scalloped details along the border of the satchel is adorable too ❀

I’ve been in love with Bamboota‘s Bifrosted Loki Charms shirt since I saw it on TeeFury ages ago. I’m lame and totally missed my chance on buying it because I kept asking myself all day if I wanted to or not, and by the time I figured out that I did, the next day’s shirt was already put up. RUGH! But it’s available on Level Up Studios now, so huzzah! Like FanFlail’s necklace, the design on this shirt is super clever. From the marshmallow shapes to the tagline (“Mischievously Delicious!”) to the free prize inside (Loki’s sceptre), it makes me wish I could find a box of Loki Charms at my grocery store.

And lastly, the little Loki figure by Funko. I adore their line of Pop! figures, I have quite a few Disney ones, and this Loki one is soooo amazing! But they retired the design, so if I want to take this guy home I’d have to give up a little over a hundred dollars. *cries* I’m hoping that they’ll come out with another one since Thor: The Dark World is hitting theaters this fall.

Are you part of Loki’s Army? Do you think Tom Hiddleston is a life ruiner? Let’s fangirl together in the comments section!

Cheers,
Nina

PS:

😀