Daisy Jean Brooch Review

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Recently I was contacted by Daisy Jean Floral Designs to review new items from their stellar Halloween collection. Now, I’m always on the hunt for new Halloween themed jewelry, so I was super excited to take a look at their collection. I selected the “Witch’s Flight” brooch, and the “Winged Accomplice” brooch from the collection.

With Halloween around the corner I took the “Witch’s Flight” out for a spin when we took a break from moving to grab a bite to eat.

Each brooch is a mini work of art, as they are made of laser cut acrylic, and then tediously hand painted, followed by a coat of resin, and feature a locking clasp glued to the back. It’s important to note and understand that because of the hand made nature of these brooches (and just about anything hand made) there is always the possibility for some minor imperfections, which my pieces had, but I’m always fine with that, because Daisy Jean is upfront and clear about that on their product pages, and I understand it comes with the territory of hand made items, and I believe in supporting small businesses.

The witch is classic, and reminds me so much of the paper Halloween decorations that we all know and love. It is a perfect and elegant addition to an outfit for any Halloween event.

The “Winged Accomplice” brooch (as well as other pieces from the collection) is more versatile. Like I know I can rock this brooch for Harry Potter themed ensembles, as I’m in Ravenclaw. It would also work well for Maleficent Disneybounds, or if you just love ravens! It is a gorgeous layered piece, with a white backing plus two more layers, giving the wonderful illusion that the bird is taking flight right off of you!

The “Wise Watcher” owl brooch, another from their Halloween collection, really gave me a Twin Peaks vibe, so like I said, the pieces can work outside of Halloween well. Daisy Jean also offers a wide range of other magnificent brooches, including a Wartime Women collection and spring themed designs.

Overall, I am really impressed with Daisy Jean’s brooches. They are so unique and really quite impressive. The acrylic is thick, and brooches have quite a lot of body to them without being bulky. I greatly look forward to future collections from them.

Also check out Daisy Jean on Facebook and Instagram!

Outfit
Brooch: Courtesy of Daisy Jean Floral Designs
Blouse: Elsewhere Vintage, Orange, California
Skirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Fishnets: Oroblu
Shoes: ???

Disclosure: I received these brooches free of charge from Daisy Jean Floral Designs in exchange for an honest review of their items.

Spooky Hillbilly Chic

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We’re almost all moved into our new house, meaning we almost have all of our stuff over at the house! But we are far from settled! We’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to blog about an outfit I wore a week and a half ago! Normally I like to blog within three days of taking photos, unless it’s like a road trip or something. But anyway!

Recently I’ve found myself developing a taste for what I call “hillbilly chic.” A branch of my love of western wear, and I think best described as if Elly May was more into wearing dresses. So when I spied this dress I knew it fit that bill, plus was the perfect color combo for a spooky visit to Knott’s Berry Farm.

Hopefully not too long will drag between posting again! Plus I have a product review I need to do too!! I hope you’re all having a spooktacular October!

Outfit
Dress & Purse: Buffalo Exchange
Belt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes: Olvera Street
Bangles: Here and there
Leather Barrettes: Knott’s Berry Farm

Sleepy Hollow

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Sorry for the lack of posts lately! This move went topsy turvy real fast due to the fire in the Anaheim Hills. I received a few concerned messages about our new home, which was sweet. What was funny is that our soon-to-be old apartment in Orange is actually closer to where the fire is, and roughly three or so miles from where they were evacuating. While we were safe in assuming we wouldn’t be evacuated, we chose to move a good deal of our dearest possessions when the fire was at its worst. Anyway, the point is, this move is not exactly going how I planned. But I’ve managed to eke in a post!

Last weekend Patrick and I along with a bunch of friends went up to Riley’s Farm for their dinner theater presentation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Riley’s Farm is like if you took a small corner of New England and plopped it in the hills of Oak Glen. There are orchards to pick from, a colonial style tavern, and on some days even colonial activities such as candle dipping, tomahawk throwing, and more. It’s both a popular field trip location for schools as well as a place for families to find the perfect pumpkin and pick their own apples. But I just adore their dinner theater productions, and this is the second year we’ve been for Sleepy Hollow.

Please excuse any further long gaps between posts! This move really has done a number on us! If you follow me on Instagram you’ll likely see some Insta-stories of our move process! In the meantime, I hope you are all having a lovely October!

Outfit
Dress: Red Door Vintage, Redlands, California
Cat Brooch: Match Accessories
Shoes: Target

Charm Bracelet Collection Vol. 4

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Welcome to the fourth and final volume in my charm bracelet collection! This volume will be all about my pre-made Disney themed charm bracelets. In my very first post I showcased a Disney themed charm bracelet I was working on, one of made of individual sterling silver charms, however the majority of pre-made charm bracelets are made from cheaper metal or in one case, brass. Most are vintage, while a few are new. Some feature characters from Disney films, while others tie in with Disneyland.

Continue reading →

Vintage Holiday Feature

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Ages ago I met an editor at Engaged Media (the publishing powerhouse behind vintage favorites such as Atomic Ranch and Flea Market Decor) and we talked about our apartment being featured in their special holiday issue, Vintage Holiday. However, we were house hunting, I believe we may have even made an offer on a house, and if everything went how I originally intended, we would have been moving when they needed to shoot. I was beyond flattered at the proposal, and sad to say no. Well, that Christmas season came and went, but not without the editor contacting me, saying she saw we decorated, and was wondering if we would leave it up a wee bit longer to have them come shoot it. It was a surreal experience, but very fun, and I am happy to say you can see our (soon to be old) place in the issue that just hit newsstands!

There were things the editor brought to the table (both literally and figuratively) including the stockings, and got cute and creative with some of my suitcases in our bedroom. But that I believe is par for the course with any magazine on any subject. I was so flattered at the whole notion and that she thought to include items from my wardrobe that I wear during the holiday season!

For those interested in purchasing, I saw the magazine at Target and Barnes and Nobel. I have heard it is also available at some grocery stores, including Smart and Final, as well as Publix if you’re in the southeast. If you can’t get your hands on a copy, I know Engaged also does digital copies, and you can still enjoy my post from last year when I took pictures to share on the blog!

Disclosure: I was not paid for this feature or to write about or publicize the issue. I’m just that darn excited!

We Bought a House!

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Alright, so the BIG news I’ve been hinting at! We bought a house!

After over a year of searching, being outbid twice, we finally got one! It’s not the amazing mid-century modern or crazy 50s ranch I had hoped for, as it is relatively modest on the outside, but it was built in 1954 and the interior has just about everything I wanted, and is original throughout most of the house! Thank goodness! I can’t tell you how many houses we saw that had awful redone kitchens and bathrooms that made me want to cry! The struggle to find a home that checked all of my boxes was a so real, and one I’m sure I could write up an entire post on it if there was interest.

We aren’t moving too far, just a hop, skip and a jump into Anaheim. I’m sad to leave Orange, as I can’t express how much I adore this little town, but we are literally moving five miles away, so it’s not a super big deal!

I kind of freaked out when I saw this 60s air conditioner! Which I recently spied in the background in my favorite movie, That Thing You Do! in Patterson’s Appliances. Plus, it still works!

And what I love most about this home is that the master bedroom has what is basically a dressing room!

There is this gorgeous built in vanity, with closet space opposite, and I fully intend on filling the area with all of my accessories!

So as mentioned before, this big news has kept me from making new parasols because I’ve been busy packing! The best part of the timing of this house is that the lease for our apartment is up at the end of the month, so we don’t have to deal with a pesky lease break or an extra month of more expensive month-to-month rent! What does all of this mean for the blog in the meantime? Well, a little less blogging. I have a few posts lined up (including the final installment of my charm bracelet collection) and a few events happening that I hope to snap pictures of, so hopefully I can get those written up and shared with you. It also means I hope to write a bit about the process of making this house our home.

I have some other big news too, that, once again, if you follow me on Instagram, you’ll already know about! But look for a post on it soon!

The Sixth Annual Tiki Day

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Sunday was the sixth annual Tiki Day in the Park at Disneyland. Like Dapper Day, Tiki Day is one of the unofficial theme days at Disneyland, and is a time for those who love tiki culture and Disney to come together. I’ve been feeling the Halloween vibes a lot lately and opted for a darker look for this Tiki Day.

One thing I love about this dress is not just its cut, but there are these almost Mickey designs throughout it, and I thought that the Mickey mummy macaroon was a nice spooky reflection of the dress’s print and my Halloween vibes, not to mention it was absolutely delicious!!

Like our visit to Knott’s on Saturday for Spooky Farm, I fully intended to make a new parasol for Tiki Day, but this big news that I will share soon has kept me from doing any parasols lately! So I just used my Shrunken Ned one again, but I thought it worked well with my darker vibes, as he’s a “witchdoctor.” I won’t keep you on the edge of your seat for too much longer! I’m planning to share the news this week. But if you follow me on Instagram, then you already know!

Outfit
Nani of Hawaii Dress: Red Light, Portland, Oregon
Shoes: Re-Mix
D Brooch: Match Accessories
Tiki Mask Ring: Junk for Joy, Burbank, California
Flower Headpiece & Parasol: Made by me