Take Offs and Landings

April 27, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

I feel like I fell off the face of the earth as far as my blog is concerned. My bad! I’ve been working on a few new designs and products for Le Fancy Geek Boutique (Star Wars stuff to be exact!), hence my absence. I’ve been so busy that I totally forgot to make a special post for yesterday, which happened to be Le Fancy Geek’s four year anniversary! Can you believe it? It really doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that I started this little thing, but alas! To put into perspective of how old this blog is, people who were freshmen in high school when I started my blog are now seniors and are getting ready to graduate very soon. O__O

Be sure to stay tuned for a giveaway to celebrate 4 years of blogging in a few days!!!

Besides planning things for Le Fancy Geek Boutique, I’ve been busy making some travel plans as well. I’m going to Hawaii in September for my cousin’s wedding, and there’s talks of visiting Disney’s Aulani resort while we’re there! And next month I’m heading to Disneyland for their 24 hour event, and I’ve also been training for the Captain America 10k in November! I guess what I’ve really been doing is just prepping for a whole lot of Disney magic. Haha! That’s really nothing new though.

Anyhow, awhile ago I blogged about how Pinup Girl Clothing teamed up with Mary Blair’s estate for a limited collection of dresses and skirts, and I got one!!! I actually got a notification about it while shooting the Snow White outfit I posted a couple weeks ago. I had to tell Caitlin, who’s been my photographer for the last two outfit posts (thanks, Caitlin!), to hold on a minute and proceeded to order the dress from my phone. The Mary Blair collection was much anticipated by many, and I didn’t want to risk having it be sold out before I got a chance to order it! Pinup Girl Clothing is pretty pricey, but their dresses are really investment pieces for your wardrobe because they are so well made, and flattering to boot! This is now my third dress from them. 😀

Yesterday was also Pinup Girl Clothing’s Pinup Parade at the Park event (think Dapper Day, but fancy pinup ladies all over the park instead). Since I couldn’t make it, I wore this dress out while grocery shopping. 😀

I hope Monday treated you well, and don’t forget to check back on ~~Wednesday~~ Sunday for the blogaversary giveaway!

::EDIT:: Sorry for the delay in the posting the giveaway. Life happened, but things aren’t crazy anymore so the giveaway will be happening on Sunday instead. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

dress: Pinup Girl Clothing (buy here) // shoes: Deflex
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique (buy here)
hair clip: Icing (buy similar here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here)

5 fandom friday

5 Fandom Friday: My Favorite Rides at Disneyland

April 17, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

This week’s 5 Fandom Friday is all about theme parks! I haven’t been to any other theme park as much as Disneyland, so this post is just going to consist of my favorite rides at Disneyland/California Adventure. Coming up with a list was a lot harder than I thought it would be and only made me miss the Happiest Place on Earth even more. UGH! I can’t wait to head back next month for their 24 hour day!!!

1. Space Mountain

Space Mountain is usually the first ride I head to when I go to Disneyland. It’s a great way to start the day with all the cool air blasting in your face. Also, you’re in SPACE (or “space”), so how awesome is that? Trying to figure out what pose to do at the end when the camera flashes is fun too! The picture above is from a few years ago when I went on the ride by myself and hid my face with Mr. Pricklepants in case the family I was behind thought of buying the picture at the end. Hehe! 😀

2. Tower of Terror

This ride is the beeeesssstt!!! The multiple drops make my stomach flip over and over which sounds like it’d be awfully uncomfortable, but I find it so thrilling!

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

So many people rag on this ride, but I think it’s so adorable and chill. Sure, the heffalumps and woozles part feels like you’re part of Winnie the Pooh’s acid trip, but you’re lying if you say you don’t sing along with the song during that part of the ride.

4. It’s a Small World

This ride is so visually stunning and adorable! Mary Blair FOREVER AND EVER.

5. Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eye

The wait time for this ride is always the most ridiculous, but completely understandable because it’s amazing! Every time you go on it, it’s like fulfilling my childhood dream of going on an adventure with Indiana Jones.

Honorable Mention: Haunted Mansion Holiday

I was about to list the Haunted Mansion, but as much fun as that ride is, it makes me think about how my time on Earth is limited and that I’m going to die one day. How morbid! Who wants to think about that at Disneyland? NOT ME. During the holiday season it gets a Nightmare Before Christmas makeover and it’s the best thing EVER, and though it’s still macabre, it’s not like “Oh my God, I’m gonna die and cease to exist” — it’s just fun!

What are your favorite Disney attractions? Let me know in the comments!

cheers

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

geek style

One Bad Apple

April 12, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

I’m normally an advocate for fighting the good fight against the tyranny of pants, but every once in a while a truce needs to be made because of cute billowy tops from Disneyland that just look better with… well… pants. My disdain for pants is kind of funny though because for the longest time I refused to wear dresses, skirts, and even shorts. I’d wear a dress for special occasions, but it was always begrudgingly. I was all about pants. Pants. Pants. Pants! Specifically bootcut or flared pants — not like JNCO flared though. Good grief! I still don’t understand how those were ever in style nor their quizzical comeback this year. I just feel a lot better when I’m wearing a pretty dress or skirt. They’re much more freeing than pants, and with dresses I can just throw a cardigan and belt on and call it a day. When I wear pants I feel like my thighs are completely on display which is just no bueno. Like every other human being, I’m insecure about parts of my body — my thighs being one of them. But they’re slimming down, slowly but surely. I think my calves are looking rather fantastic thanks to kickboxing though!

For this outfit, I went all out with my Snow White gear. I remember seeing this striped tank featuring art by Michelle Romo when I went to Disneyland back in January, and my responsible decision to not buy it haunted me for months! But now it’s mine!!! Thank goodness I had enough Disney Dream Dollars on my rewards card to buy it when I went to Disneyland a few weeks ago. I paired it with my Evil Queen locket necklace from the Walt Disney Family Museum, poison apple brooch from Poison of Choice, and my black tote with some Snow White flair on it. I actually haven’t had a chance to wear these black wedges out yet besides for these outfit pictures (I was originally wearing red ballet flats). But look at them! Aren’t they super fancy and fierce? They’re not the type of style I would usually be drawn to, but I tried them on for funsies and they just made me feel so badass. Sometimes when I see them on my shoe rack I giggle a little bit because I bought them on a particular trip to TJMaxx that was intended to be for baby shower present purposes. I left TJMaxx that day with just the shoes… whoops. >_<

I hope all you ponies have a great Sunday! Game of Thrones is back on tonight!!! And another episode of Mad Men! AHH! So much good TV is happening today! ALL THE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cardigan: Xhileration // top: WonderGround Gallery
hair flower: Icing // glasses: ModCloth (buy here)
necklace: Walt Disney Family Museum // tote: Forever 21
brooch: Poison of Choice (buy here)
Angst Gang badge: Stay Home Club (buy here)
pants: Simply Vera // wedges: Blowfish Shoes

5 fandom friday

5 Fandom Friday: Magical Items I Would Love To Own

April 10, 2015 Nina Penalosa7 Comments

I haven’t done a 5 Fandom Friday post in a good while, so I’m back at it! This week’s prompt asked what 5 magical items I would love to own, and I immediately thought, “What are all the cool things from the world of Harry Potter that I want?” Because magic = Harry Potter. It also = pretty much anything related to Disney ~~and Tom Hiddleston’s bum~~. Hehe 😀

1. wand

This is self explanatory, right? ACCIO ALL THE THINGS. I would prefer to have a golden wand with a pretty crystal on top though, please and thank you.

2. a pretty unicorn

[photo credit:Diana Peterfreund]

I mean… DUH. Why wouldn’t I want a unicorn? And you know what would be especially awesome about having a unicorn? I won’t have to clean its poop because rainbows, fruity flavored gourmet marshmallows, and ice cream are what comes out of a unicorn’s bumhole. No dodo patrol! Just rainbows and an endless supply of marshmallows and ice cream.

Do you think French unicorns poop out macarons? Hmmm…

3. a remembrall

[photo credit: Magical Mendelian Genetics]

This might be useless because what if I pull a Neville and forget what it was that I’ve forgotten? Or maybe it’ll be useful for when I pack for trips because I’m always forgetting to pack something. Maybe seeing the red smoke appear will make me think harder about the things I’m supposed to pack. I’ll never know if it works unless I have one!

4. Nimbus 2000

516pruN2eDL._SL1500_

[photo credit: CineReplicas]

The ability to apparate would be super helpful, but I suppose a Nimbus 2000 would suffice to help me get around in case I want to take the scenic route with a bird’s eye view. Since I’m afraid of heights I figure I can just use the aforementioned wand to create a charm around myself so I won’t freak out. And yeah, I know that there are other broom models that are probably superior to the Nimbus 2000, but I think it just looks a lot nicer. 😛

5. Mary Poppins’ carpet bag

A bag that’s bigger on the inside? Yes please and thank you! I suppose I’d be able to use a wand like Hermione to make any bag bigger on the inside, but #lazy.

What are some magical items you would like to have? Let me know in the comments!

cheers

To find out the origins of 5 Fandom Friday, go here. And check out The Nerdy Girlie and SuperSpaceChick to catch up with the latest prompts!

geek style · out & about

The Hoppiest Place on Earth

April 6, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

My week long break from work came to an end today. BLURGH. Spring Break, why did you have to go by so fast? Anywho, I hope you all had a happy Easter Sunday yesterday! And if you didn’t celebrate, I hope your Sunday was awesome anyway. 🙂

A couple weeks ago when I was in SoCal, I got to go to Disneyland to celebrate my sister’s birthday before heading to the Geek Week Fashion show. It was a pretty relaxing visit as we just went around the park doing the Disney Egg-Stravaganza Easter egg hunt, and we also took some pictures with popular Disney bunnies at the Spring Time Round-Up that was set up in Frontierland. I’m still bummed that I didn’t get to meet the White Rabbit and Thumper, because deep down I’m still 5, y’know. I think we managed to complete the egg hunt within 2 or 3 hours (we stopped for lunch, so probably 2 hours), and decided to head to California Adventure and do the egg hunt there! We probably could’ve gotten it done a lot faster if we didn’t spend 10 minutes looking for the Goofy egg that was hidden at the Astro Orbiter in Tomorrowland. For the record, he wasn’t hidden anywhere near the actual ride! What sneaks.

It was fun, and we got a couple of cute Disney eggs in the end — I got the White Rabbit and Thumper which were the ones I really wanted! — but if I didn’t have an Annual Pass, I don’t think I’d partake in it again just because it takes up a good chunk of time.

Oh, can I talk about my dress for a minute because LOOK AT HOW EPIC IT IS! It has Sleeping Beauty castle all over it and was designed by Save the Panduhs. I had been lusting after it like something fierce for a long time, but it wasn’t available anymore. But in February I saw that they were ordering a few more for one last go, and I ordered one on my phone in the middle of dinner during Galentine’s Day (I do not mess). Luckily it arrived a few days before I left for LA!

The dress is a compliment factory too. I don’t think I’ve ever been stopped so many times by people to let me know they really dug my outfit! 😀

While taking pictures by the castle the Evil Queen walked by and said, “How about you take a picture of some real beauty?” and then she stood so my “good side” wasn’t facing the camera. It’s like she knew I’m not photogenic on my right side. What a wicked jerk! But I can’t wait to go back to Disneyland for their 24 hour event next month with my sister and her boyfriend!

dress: Save the Panduhs (no longer available)
shoes: Blowfish Shoes (no longer available) // cardigan: Gold Drama
necklace: Le Fancy Geek Boutique (buy here)
crinoline: Tatyana Boutique (buy here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here)

geek style · out & about

Geeky Faire @ Whimsic Alley

April 4, 2015 Nina Penalosa2 Comments

My trip to LA was full of all kinds of geekiness! Jen and I, along with our friend Danielle, stopped by Whimsic Alley last Friday, which is a mecca for all things geek (Harry Potter, Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Downton Abbey — you name it, they have it), and they happened to be having their Geeky Faire the weekend we were there. If that’s not serendipity, then I don’t know what is!

I had heard of their Geeky Faire from some of the folks I follow on Instagram, so I inquired about how often they have it, and the next thing I knew I was signing a contract and forking over my credit card to be a vendor at their Geeky Faire in December! Needless to say, I’m extremely excited!!! Jen will be sharing a table with me selling her geek wares too. She has yet to make them, but once her Etsy store is up and running I’ll share her work with you ponies. 🙂

Whimsic Alley has a door that looks like the TARDIS which leads visitors to a room that resembles the Great Hall in Harry Potter. It’s pretty effin’ spectacular. Anyhow, that’s where the Geeky Faire was held. Jen and I headed back on Sunday to check it out before we headed back to Stockon. And holy crap, you guys! It took everything in me to not throw my money at every vendor that was there. Everyone had so many geektastical things to offer, and I can’t wait until December because hellooo Christmas shopping~~… for myself!~~

I didn’t get a chance to hit up all the vendors, but here are some that really caught my attention:

1138 Clothing:

ACCIO LUNA LOVEGOOD DRESS. –clears throat– I said, ACCIO LUNA LOVEGOOD DRESS. Ugh! But seriously, are you not drooling over that Luna Lovegood dress with the Peter Pan collar?! I can’t stop thinking about it!

Nerdy But Still Girly:

I ended up buying a pair of Jon Snow and Ghost cling earrings from Nerdy But Still Girly. How could I not? Look at how precious they are! If I wasn’t on a budget, best believe I would’ve gotten so much more from their booth.

Aun-Juli’s Whimsy & Watercolors:

I was so excited to see fandom tea from Adagio at the Geeky Faire! I got a Game of Thrones blend during the holidays, and it’s quite delicious. Aun-Juli had some of her blends on hand featuring her beautiful watercolor artwork. Be sure to check out her tea blends here. I picked up sample tins of Elven Nectar, TARDIS, and Dalek Specialtea.

Lanovia:

Look at how elegant these geeky silhouette necklaces are! My favorites are the Han Solo and Sherlock ones. 🙂

A Bird in the Hand:

I’m a sucker for a geeky mug, and A Bird in the Hand has soooo many to choose from! I found myself particularly drawn to the Shaun of the Dead mug that says “You’ve Got Red on You” and the Accio Tea mug. Ugh, so cute! And so perfect to sip some fandom tea out of!

Kit’s Designs:

How great are these book necklaces and earrings? Kit’s Designs also had some really great boxes with beloved book covers from Edgar Allan Poe, The Fault in Our Stars, etc.

Crafted Cuteness:

Jen and I couldn’t stop squeeling at this table. Their My Little Ponys and Adiposes absolutely slayed me!

I seriously cannot wait until December! I hope I’ll see some of you ponies there too! 🙂

geek style · out & about

Style Faire @ Geek Fashion Week

April 3, 2015 Nina PenalosaLeave a comment

Hey my little ponies! Like I mentioned in my last post, the Geek Fashion Week runway show also included a little style faire featuring handful of geeky vendors. From jewelry, beer steins, dresses, to actual weapons, there was a bit of everything to cover every geek’s needs!

Here are some of the crafty vendors who were selling their wares at the style faire:

Mombie Zombie:

Dimensionality Designs:

8-Bit Spock:

Bottivingelo:

Another vendor was Absinthe Arts who had plenty of handmade creations featuring upcycled toys 90s kids would recognize (remember Fairy Winkles?), to terrarium necklaces. Definitely check them out too! I bought this gold dinosaur fossil necklace from them. 🙂