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

Sweater Puppies

February 24, 2015 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

A few years ago, I came across this Lady & the Tramp pullover from H&M while browsing #ladyandthetramp on Instagram. There were soooo many selfies of ladies wearing it and exclaiming how much they loved it, and I was stabbed multiple times with sharp pangs of jealousy.

I HAD TO HAVE IT.

Lady & the Tramp has always been one of my favorite Disney movies, and my obsession with novelty pullovers was (and still is) very strong. I dropped many unsubtle hints to my boyfriend at the time that I wanted it for Christmas. He was unable to find it, so I called thirteen (yes, thirteen) different H&M locations that were within forty-five minutes to an hour and a half away from me, but had no luck! I talked a little bit about how horribly I wanted it on this blog post from a couple years back. The desperation was no joke.

I figured all hope was lost and it would never be mine, so I just gave up on it. I mean, it’s just a pullover, right? Or “jumper,” if you live somewhere that has better slang than America. Later that year I randomly decided to look it up on eBay and there it was! And in my size!!! It was almost fate — the only problem was that the seller was based in the UK and her listing for it said “No international orders.” I messaged her anyway, telling her my sob story about how I’ve searched high and low for it and if she would please let me bid on it. Obviously, she was an angel because here I am wearing it in these outfit photos. 😀

As much as I love it, I can’t help but feel slightly weird about how mighty my need for it was. I stalked the auction for it like someone stalks the Facebook profile (or Tumblr or Instagram) of someone they have a crush on. When it finally got down to the last few minutes of the auction, my body was literally shaking. Shaking. Who the fresh hell shakes with anticipation over a damn piece of clothing? Apparently, I do. But… LOOK AT HOW PERFECT IT IS!

Have any of you ever gone completely insane for a materialistic item, or stalked an eBay auction like a lion hunts its prey? Lemme know in the comments!

cheers

pullover: H&M (no longer available) // necklace: Macy’s
shoes: American Eagle (buy similar here) // dress: ???
glasses: ModCloth (buy here)

geek style · tasty travels

Crown & Crumpet

January 14, 2015 Nina Penalosa8 Comments

Hey my little ponies! On Monday I headed to San Francisco with a few of my friends to celebrate my birthday at Crown & Crumpet. It’s an adorable little tea spot in Japantown that’s a definite must for any tea lover to go to! I passed by their original location a few years ago when they were still in Ghirardelli Square and made a mental note to eventually go there.

When making plans for my birthday, I decided early on that I wanted to have afternoon tea in the city with my girlfriends and dress up like Disney princesses a la Disneybound! How else would one go about celebrating the last year of their twenties? I ended up not wearing a princessesy outfit, but I still felt pretty damn fancy in my navy doe dress from ModCloth and t-strap heels.

As I looked up different places that served afternoon tea, I remembered Crown & Crumpet and promptly Googled it. Their menu seemed less pricier than most places, and their tea menu had a bunch of delightful sounding blends. I nearly ordered Alice’s “Drink Me” tea — a black tea with champagne and sugar crystals — but was told it had caffeine, so I opted for the fruity Snow White tea. 🙂

Crown & Crumpet has the most adorable decor too! The tables are lined with cheery floral table cloth and with little pictures of angels, Union Jacks, and tea cups. The walls were adorned with the cutest art, and there’s a large clock on the wall with antique tea cups and saucers instead of numbers. It says, “It’s Time for Tea” underneath it. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the clock though. Sorry!

Crown & Crumpet had some delicious food and treats as well. Jen ordered a slice of berry cake that came with jam and clotted cream, and now I want jam on all the cakes I eat from now on. No more frosting, just jam! Caitlin and I ordered scones to go with our tea, and they came with lemon curd, clotted cream, and raspberry jam (I think it was raspberry anyway) which I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since then. Why aren’t there any places closer to me that serve afternoon tea with all the English accoutrements like Crown & Crumpet?! WHY?!

Shanice, Jen, and myself all ordered the tricolore sandwich and they were really nice about letting us add on chicken and substituting cheddar for mozzarella. Caitlin got the chicken pot pie and Jen damn near stole it from her because she thought it was amazing! Our waitress also overheard us saying it was someone’s birthday and brought a little cookie dough flavored cupcake with a candle, and had my friends sing happy birthday to me. 😀

Afterwards, I asked the manager (or perhaps she was the owner…?) if I could take some pictures inside their private party room for the blog and she was more than accommodating! I mentioned to her that I had heard about Crown & Crumpet from passing by their old location a few years ago, and she talked to me a bit about how they ended up in Japantown and that they hope to open another location in downtown San Francisco.

I’d definitely love to go back to Crown & Crumpet and try a different tea and get more scones (and a slice of cake)! You guys don’t understand, those scones were SO. TASTY. And that jam! Oh my goodness.

dress: ModCloth (no longer available) // cardigan & hair pin: H&M
shoes: American Rag // necklace: c/o oNecklace (buy here)
glasses: Derek Cardigan (buy similar here)

geek style

LeSportsac: It’s a Small World Bag Review

April 17, 2013 Nina Penalosa15 Comments

I’ve been holding out on some exciting news from you guys, but I’m ready to share it!

A couple of weeks ago the fine folks of LeSportsac contacted me and asked me if I could write a review AND host a giveaway on my blog for their spring line of It’s a Small World bags! When I first found out about this collaboration last year I flipped out because I’ve been a longtime fan of both Disney and LeSportsac (the very first expensive bag I bought myself was from their collaboration with Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B. line and my LeSportsac collection snow balled from there!), plus It’s a Small World has always been one of my favorite attractions at Disneyland since I was a little girl. So when I was approached by them to review a couple of bags for this particular line I did a little happy dance around my room! 😀

I’ll be giving more details about the giveaway tomorrow (and one of them will be filled with a bunch of special goodies in honor of my upcoming 2 year blogaversary!), but for now here’s my review of a couple of their super cute bags!

The Classic Hobo is not too big and not too small — it’s just right. <– that was so Goldilocks of me. Anyhow, I was able to stick my wallet, make-up bag, planner, a pack of gum, hand sanitizer, and a Cliff Bar, and there was still a bit of room to spare for a few other little things. This is the perfect kind of bag to take on the go — whether you’re hanging out with some friends, going to a concert, running errands, or heading to work. And I love the fact that you can adjust the strap, so you can wear it as a crossbody bag or over the shoulder.

The print of the bag is called “Share Your Dreams” and it features a bunch of little embroidered iconic landmarks from different nations and a charm that has the face from the tower of the attraction. I’m a HUGE fan of Mary Blair, the artist who designed It’s a Small World, and I think that LeSportsac did a lovely job at paying homage to her incredibly adorable iconic designs. It also came with a little pouch that can double as a little makeup bag (but I forgot to take a picture of it. D’oh)!

The other bag I really liked was the Carryall Tote. And true to its name, it really can carry all!

I was able to fit all the items I listed above in the Classic Hobo, along with my bulky Canon SX50 and iPad, and there was definitely room for even more! This tote is ideal for the kind of girl that likes to carry tons of things with her. It can also fit my 13 inch laptop, a water bottle, etc. I think this is the kind of bag I’d take along with me for travel purposes or if I find myself leaving the house to work on my blog elsewhere, that way I can take my camera and laptop with me. It’s also PERFECT for a trip to Disneyland! It’ll hold all the bare necesseties (I’m sorry, that was cheesy) and you can even fit snackies and little souvenirs in case you go shopping in between going on rides and eating Pineapple Dole Whips.

Stay tuned to find out how you can win your very own It’s a Small World purse on tomorrow’s post!

Cheers,
Nina

FTC disclosure: LeSportsac sent me these bags to keep and review. All opinions stated are of my own.

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outfit #1 details – cardigan: Mossimo // Lady & the Tramp tank: Disney x Target (buy here) // rose hair pin: The Icing // purse: c/o LeSportsac (buy here)

outfit #2 details – cardigan + dress: Old Navy (buy here + here) // shoes: Avenue // tote: c/o LeSportsac (buy similar here) //Hyacinth Hippo pin: Walt Disney Family Museum // hot pink belt: Xhileration (came w/a dress) // ring: random boutique fin