shoppin'

Fluff n’ Stuff

December 4, 2011 Nina Penalosa3 Comments

Last weekend Tim and I went to Build-a-Bear Workshop to make a little buddy for Princess Penny (a bear I had made a few years ago at the Build-a-Bear in Downtown Disney). I kind of forgot how overwhelming the experience is because of all the choices of bears/animals and clothes you have to choose from. But we ended up picking a bear that looked similar to Princess Penny. 🙂

If you haven’t gone to Build-a-Bear before, you get to pick a heart to stuff inside your creation. Being the nerds that we are, I said we should give it two hearts so he could be a Time Lord bear (Doctor Who reference, in case you don’t know).

I was a bit disappointed in the stuffing process though, because when I made Princess Penny at Disneyland they made me do some ~~stupid~~ silly things — I had to spin in a circle, hold the heart over my head and shake it, and make a wish. At the store we went to, the woman helping us just said to make a wish and then stick the hearts inside our bear. See? Not as exciting. I wanted to put Tim through all of that, but noooo.

One of the things I like about Build-a-Bear is that you get to pick out an ensemble for your cuddly creation. We both agreed that we wanted our bear to be dapper as hell, and ended up finding this GQ-esque pinstripe vest and tie combo. I was bummed that they didn’t have any bowties, but what can you do? We also decided to go for the Pooh Bear look too — no pants, no shoes, just a top. Adding pants and shoes seemed too silly and over the top.

It took Tim and I awhile to pick a name for our bear. I immediately thought of Wilfred, as in Donna’s grandpa from Doctor Who (I ALWAYS manage to find a way to incorporate Doctor Who). We tried to think of other names from nerdy franchises like Harry Potter, and looked up names on our phones, but we ended up going with Wilfred. And at the very last second, I saw a book on the counter when we were waiting in line to pay with a bear wearing glasses. I looked at Wilfred and said he needed some.

Here’s Wilfred and Princess Penny together. I think she’s quite pleased.

Too bad Tim and I tore them apart though — Wilfred currently resides in my room while Princess Penny stays at Tim’s apartment in Sacramento.

geek style

GQMF

November 28, 2011 Nina Penalosa1 Comment

Every time Shanice and I go shopping and pass by the men’s department, we always say, “Damn, I really want to help a guy go shopping!” And Jen and I always talk about how nice it must be to be a guy because they don’t have to worry about dresses and skirts — they just have simple things like trousers, jeans, sweaters, vests, blazers, ties, etc. I absolutely adore menswear. I’d honestly rather flip through an issue of GQ rather than Vogue or some other women’s fashion magazine because guys just get to wear really amazing things.

I’ve told Tim every now and then (before we got together) that if he ever needed help shopping for clothes to let me know because I just really want to help a man buy clothes. He trusts my tastes in things since I helped him find a pair of comfy, yet stylish, shoes for his trip to Europe last year at Aldo. Tim finally asked if I would help him pick out clothes, and I was like, “YES! I’ve been asking you to let me help you go shopping for how long???”

gqmf gq mother fucker — Here's a better view of the herringbone elbow patches

On Saturday we went to Modesto to go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop (more on that later), and afterwards we went to H&M. I like Tim’s personal style, but I’ve seen him dress fancy before and he looks goooood. So I was like a kid in a candy store sorting through all the button-up shirts, jackets, and sweaters that I thought would make him look like a GQMF (GQ Mother F*cker, in case you didn’t know). There were a few things I picked out that looked better on the hanger, but I found a really nice crew neck sweater with herringbone elbow patches and two patterned button-up shirts that he could wear under them, a pair of grey trousers, and a cranberry v-neck sweater [not pictured]. We still need to find a dark gray button-up to go under that.

I think I did a good job. 😀

Le Fancy Geek & Nerd

November 27, 2011 Nina Penalosa5 Comments

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and weekend! Sorry I’ve been M.I.A. — I’ve been busy with holiday/family stuff and having epic adventures with my boyfriend, Tim. <— holy shit! For those who’ve been reading my blog for awhile, Tim has made an appearance every now and then since we hang out so damn much. He’s my bestest friend, but things changed about a week ago, and it was all very unexpected. And that’s all I’m going to say about that because I don’t see the need to elaborate on the mushy details. 🙂

But I just wanted to show off how snazzy we looked on Thanksgiving!

—

outfit details:

Me:

blazer: Tibi
brooch: vintage
dress: Xhiliration
belt: Target
shoes: American Rag

Tim:

from what I know, everything is H&M and the shoes are from Aldo

geek style

Nerd Idea

June 16, 2011 Nina Penalosa7 Comments

[courtesy of Poketo]

I think it’s really awesome how Poketo has grown as a company. I remember about 6 years ago I bought a tee by them from Karmaloop that had a couple of pink fawns on it, which was designed by Jeana Sohn. I’d always see them at Comic Con too — they went from screen printed tees and wallets, to totes and housewares, and they even had a special line at Target last year!

Anyway, I browsed their site a few days ago and found these super amazing totes made out of upcycled mens blazers and collared shirts. Each tote is one-of-a-kind, and pretty damn pricey ($250!). But the craftsmanship is impeccable. My mom told me I could probably make my own, and then Janine, my internet BFF, saw me post it on my Tumblr and said it needed a bow tie a la Doctor Who, and then I got a brilliant idea! What if I made one that resembled the 11th Doctor’s outfit? I haven’t touched a sewing machine in a long time, but I think it would be a cool project to do one day.