pastel bow flats

I think these flats are so adorable that I had to share them! I love the color pink with the lavender bow on the back. These would be perfect as spring begins to roll around. Also, pastels are supposedly making more of an appearance this spring rather than the neon-siren colors we've been seeing recently. I love a good neon, but it will be refreshing to see calmer colors as well!

On the plus side, these flats are only $20! Get them here.

xo

Sunday Best

Dress: Nordstrom Tights: Express Headbands: Drugstore Boots: Chinese Laundry Watch: Michael Kors Bracelets: F21 Charm bracelet and charms: Juicy Couture

It's been a while since I've done an outfit post! And, other than yesterday, it's been a while since I've posted at all. I'm sorry for the delay! The new semester just started so I've been extremely busy. I also created a Tumblr recently, so that's been taking up some of my blogging time. :)

I wore this outfit to church this morning. It has been a while since I've been to church so it was nice to go. There is a church near campus that I've been wanting to try and I ended up liking it a lot! The people there are nice too, and there are a lot of college students so it feels like a good community for me.

I love dressing up, so I was excited to get an excuse (like I even need one...) to wear a dress! I paired it with patterned tights and boots, with some gold sparkly accessories to make the dark color scheme a little less dreary!

xo

Lacoste Headbands

I used to love Lacoste several years back; I would wear the polos to golf and had white sneakers I would wear in the summertime. As the years went on, I stopped wearing the brand as often but now that I saw they are having a semi-annual sale with up to 50% off, I might pick up a piece or two!

The Pique Headband is something that has been on my wish list for a long time. It comes in a large variety of colors at only $12 each! Since winter can get so dull, one of these headbands would be a nice way to brighten up a look!

Three of my favorite colors of the headband:

Want to snag one for yourself? Click here.

xo

Brands I Love: Brandy Melville

When I was in Florence last summer a friend and I stumbled upon this boutique called Brandy Melville. Little did I know, it was about to become one of my all-time favorite stores.

Brandy Melville began in Italy and then arrived to the USA in 2008. The brand is opening up more stores worldwide. On the Amsterdam website, they describe the brand:

"Brandy Melville is well known for its Italian fashion origins in a stylish though effortless ways. The vibe of the line is effortless yet chic, with fabrics from soft cotton tees to angora sweaters, bringing out the best of bohemian grace."

The pieces are fashion-forward with a bohemian touch. The atmosphere at the Florence store felt friendly and beachy.

The closest Brandy Melville stores to me currently are in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and Newport Beach. There are also a few more locations, such as NYC and Hawaii.

My question is, how the heck did I find out about this fabulous store halfway around the world, when it has been in the same country as me for over three years?

xo

Click for Italy store locations

Click for USA store locations

Photos courtesy of the Brandy Melville website

Trends Taking Off

Each season, designers incorporate new and recycled ideas to create their collections. As the fashion-minded people we are, we like to see what the new trends are and how they may fit into our wardrobes!

Some trends don't really take off, however. Overalls always attempt a comeback but haven't quite succeeded. Though remember how some people were terrified of jeggings, but now they're a huge hit? Many trends take a while to "make it to the big time." With Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week for F/W 2012 coming up in February (see the schedule here), I wonder which trends will come to surface!

Right now, I have an inkling these three trends may show up on the runways:

1. FLATFORMS

Jeffrey Campbell flatforms from Nasty Gal

Flatforms were all over the runways last year, but many people thought they looked goofy, impractical, or tacky. Jeffrey Campbell is known for his outrageous shoe collection, and flatforms are now a part of it. I'm not a big fan of the ones in the photo above. I could find woven platforms with straps (like summer wedges, without the "heel") appealing, though. I guess we'll see!

2. CUTOUT SHOULDER SHIRTS

Spencer from "Pretty Little Liars"

Threadsence Open Shoulder Blouse

I have been seeing shirts with shoulder cutouts everywhere. And I mean everywhere - television, Pinterest, Polyvore, celebrities, retail and online stores...This style has definitely grown on me, and I just might pick up a shirt with shoulder cutouts for the warmer season!

3. PEPLUM

Alice + Olivia Peplum Skirt

I love, love, love peplum skirts, dresses, and shirts. I think they are adorable and classic-looking and can dress up any outfit. I've seen a little more peplum than usual lately, and am hoping it will take off this spring!

Twenty years from now if I see this post, I might think, "Wow, that looks ridiculous. Those trends are so 2012," in the same way that our parents look at high school photos and say "So '70s!" or "So '80s!"

At least the mullet haircut hasn't come back in style...Oh wait.

Kourtney Kardashian's adorable son, Mason

xo

a vivid dream

I just woke up from a very vivid dream. I was somehow in Morocco. I walked outside next to my hotel with a bunch of students like me, some who I knew in real life and others that I "knew" in the dream. (Isn't that weird how your subconscious does that?) I took out my camera and walked down to the clearest, aqua blue sea next to the reddish-brown sand. A turtle tried to bite my leg. There were hundreds of small, quirky, colorful houses embedded in the tall, brown hill aligning the sea. It was gorgeous. I wanted to see more - and then I woke up.

I realized there was no way Morocco could look like the images my sleeping brain conjured! Here are some real photos of Morocco I found on Flickr:

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 Maybe I'll go to Morocco some day. :)

xo

a random place to take an outfit photo

Pink tank: Nordstrom Coat, skinnies: F21 Boots: Corso Como Necklace: Muses & Rebels

Today I was out shopping and getting a massage at the mall, and wanted to take an outfit photo outside. Well, there isn't much of a backdrop other than Game Stop apparently, haha.

I only had time for a few photos, so I tried to do a closeup on my necklace! My brother gave it to me for Christmas (his girlfriend helped pick it out) and I think it is gorgeous. I then added my new coat and riding boots for structure to balance out the bagginess of the tank.

Okay, so the photo at the top doesn't show the necklace very well. Here's a photo from their website:

Isn't it pretty?

xo

For dinner

See those twice baked potatoes in the photo above?! I actually made those! And I did it all by myself.

I'm not really one in the kitchen, but lately I've been trying to cook new meals. Why?

1. Cooking my own food allows me to control the ingredients and literally shows what I am about to put in my body. When I cook for myself, I realize I create healthier meals than some of the ones I choose to eat at restaurants.

2. I'm getting a little tired of eggs, cereal, smoothies, and toast.

I'm going to try to get out of my comfort zone of making the same things I mentioned in #2 over and over. They are healthy, but I want some variety - so I go online and search for a healthy version of the recipe I'm looking for.

I've learned that cooking is all about trial and error. I've never made twice baked potatoes before, and noticed that I didn't bake these long enough. The potatoes were more crunchy than soft, when they're supposed to be soft all over. I used larger potatoes than the recipe called for, but didn't cook them longer than the recipe said to. 

Next time I try this recipe, I'll make sure to bake the potatoes longer or shorter according to the size. The filling was fantastic, though! I sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top and switched out regular onions for green onions. It's all about the learning experience.

xo

Put it on the "Lust List"

I was at Neiman Marcus recently and spotted this adorable Milly handbag. The pattern, size, and handles are what caught my attention. 

It would be perfect for spring and summer. It would go well with many outfits. It would go well with many of my outfits! (Or future outfits, that is). Let's just say it is on my shopping lust list.

After Neiman Marcus, I popped into Jimmy Choo. I These amazing sandals from the Spring/Summer '12 collection were right in front of the entryway. It was like they were just waiting for me to see their beauty. I didn't get them because it's too early for summer shoes. Oh, and they also cost $850 per pair. The $295 Milly handbag above doesn't seem so expensive now... ;)

xo

PS - for some reason, Blogger hasn't been working on my computer the past couple of days. I could see other Blogger blogs, but not my own ... now I can. It's probably just a glitch, but explains my silence for the past few days!

Reflection

I cannot believe it is already 2012. So many new and great things happened to me in 2011, and since it is the new year, naturally, I have been reflecting on the year.

I kicked off the year with my first internship for College Fashion, and had so much fun doing it. I photographed girls on campus with unique outfits and interviewed them about their style.

Lauren, one of the girls I interviewed for CF

I took intermediate rock climbing. I became a better climber, became lead-certified, and took a lead fall. I even climbed outside. Since I didn't take the rock climbing class in the fall, I haven't climbed a lot lately. I'm taking it again this spring so I can get back into it.

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Starting Sunny Sweetheart! I began blogging in March, after thinking about wanting to write for a while. It's a great place to casually improve my writing skills, and a fun way to keep a record some of the things happening in my life. I began this blog with the hope that it would turn into a fashion blog, and am happy to have the outfit posts be a portion of what I blog about.

My very first outfit post in July  2011

Here are the two blog designs I had before my current one! I don't have a photo of my very first design; it was yellow and orange.

I visited a whole new continent for the first time. Studying abroad in Italy last summer was one of the best things I've ever done. It is an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. From Rome and Florence to Elba Island, Ireland, England, and the Amalfi Coast, I had the time of my life. I met so many great people and tried so many new things. Experiencing new culture was incredible. I cannot wait to travel again.

I made dance team for the third year in a row! Dancing is something I've been doing almost my whole life, and  it is great to bond with a group of girls about something we all love. We traveled to Canada and Seattle to perform already, and we'll see what the rest of the season has in store!

I started using new social media sites like Blogspot (obviously), Flickr, about.me, Foursquare (kind of), and Pinterest. I finally started regularly tweeting and am thinking I might start up my old Tumblr account again. Stay tuned!

I made great new friends, wrote an article for Sweet Lemon Magazine, read a lot of new books, moved into my first apartment, made Dean's List for the first time, learned so much in school, attempted to speak Italian, traveled to multiple countries, and spent time with those I love and love to laugh with.

Overall, 2011 was a pretty great year. Let's see what 2012 has to offer!

cheers & xo