Savvy Finds: Milly Dresses Teasers

This has been a hard post.  I've taken pictures of these dresses twice now and for some reason whenever I'm about to save it, it disappears.  WTF???   So I guess it'll be a teaser for now because these are the only pictures that were saved.  I think I need a new memory card or a new card reader.

Stay tuned

Hope everyone is having a good day!

Exploring and Eating

WARNING: This is going to be a long post but it's two days in one.

After spending some time with an old friend and making new ones DH and our furry kids drove down to LA for my sister's graduation from CSUN, receiving her master's in Public Administration.  She said she wants to work for the CDC, she's currently a public health nurse.

The very next day we drove to Grand Canyon.  It was a long trip but it was worth it.

 It was amazing and beautiful, great just for an over night trip but DH was scouting it for future camping site for him and his friends.

Then on Saturday DH and I did what we always do when we're in LA, explore and eat. We were on our way to try a new restaurant called Pizzeria Mozza until we found out that it's owned by Mario Batali who is a celebrity chef, featured on Iron Chef.  We don't really have anything against Mario Batali or Iron Chef but in our experience with other establishments that carries a celebrity chef's name is not positive.  Except for David Chang of Momofuku in New York.  He's never been on Iron Chef but he is pretty popular and rightfully so.  Our experience eating at Momofuku was memorable.  We'll definitely dine there again when in New York.  But for the rest of the other restaurants we've dined at we find that it can all be hype and salty so we ended up eating at a little hamburger joint we've been to once before called The Golden State.

I opted for their burger and fried sweet potato fries

DH ordered the BLTA side of salad

For dessert we had gelato, strawberry balsamic vinegar and salted oreo.  Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of them but everything was de-lish.

OOTD: Dress Anthropologie

Original price $168 

Sale price $50

_________________

Savings: $118

After moving the car near the Grove, an outside shopping area we decided to walk to La Brea Tar Pit which was about 25 minute walk which we didn't mind, we had to walk off brunch.

Outside the Ahmanson Building on the LACMA, (Los Angeles Country Museum of Art), campus The Jesus Rafael Soto sculpture, Penetrable

 This sculpture consists of suspended plastic hoses for visitors to walk through

Vintage belt

Sunglasses Tom Ford

After some exploring we got kind of hungry and spotted some food trucks parked across the street

Kalbi and spicy pork buns with duck fat french fries

After our snack we walked back to our car and drove to Bottega Louie which was about 25 minutes drive located in downtown LA, one of our favorite restaurants.

They don't take reservations and it was packed and we were told 30-40 minutes wait but we didn't mind considering we just had a snack less than an hour ago.  

We had major eye candy while waiting, plenty of dessert to drool over.

These are not even half of their selections. 

Assorted flavors of macaroons

Cupcakes

Different cheesecake macaroons 

It didn't take that long to be seated and we looked over the menu while waiting so once we sat down we ordered.  These are their famous mushroom fries. We also had a salad but I forgot to take a picture of it.

I ordered a small plate of lamb porterhouse that came with potatoes

DH ordered the seared ahi tuna over tomatoes

The ahí tuna was my favorite out of the two

For desert we had the creme brûlée with berries and I must say DH's creme brûlée tastes exactly the same.

Then we drove back to my Mom's and called it a night.  This must seem like we're just pigs but food is something we don't skimp on while on vacation and of course I did do some shopping right before leaving for Arizona.  I picked up two Milly dresses at Nordstrom Rack in Woodland Hills both under $70 that I will post for this Savvy Thursday edition.  I am so behind on those but hopefully I can catch up sooner than later.

This is going to be another busy week.  I had to drive DH back home and then drive back to my Mom's then have lunch with an old childhood friend I haven't seen for 20+ years, have dinner and catch a movie with some other friends and to top it off my cousin's baby shower this Saturday then drive home on Sunday.  I left our furry kiddies at my Mom's which means DH is going to be all alone for the entire week.  He said that he'll be so lonely that I shouldn't be surprise to see cutout pictures of me and the dogs around the apartment when we get back.  He is taking this time alone to eat what I normally wouldn't care for so he's excited to have a chance to eat whatever he wants for the whole week.

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday!

Linking up with Visible Monday

Tour Guides

It's been a busy month.  One of DH's friends came to visit with his new girl friend and she's never been to our neck of the woods so we showed them around before she goes back to Afghanistan and he goes back to Washington.  I won't post any pictures of them but here is a few of the places we've visited.

Golden Gate Bridge on our way to Napa

It was windy and my hair was all over the place

Castello di Amorosa

Calistoga, CA 

Dress - Anthropologie

Belt - Vintage

Napa

Winery

Appetizers at The Girl and the Fig

Sonoma, CA

We got to busy enjoying the appetizer and forgot to take pics of the entree.

The day before our Napa trip we hung out in SF and it felt like we ate every 30 minutes.  I didn't take pics of the food because we were engaged in conversations and no one besides DH knows I have a blog so I didn't want any questions why I'm taking pictures of everything.  

Anyhoo, there was an incident that was funny and gross at the same time.  We stood in line for Bi-Rite ice cream and I had the strawberry balsamic ice cream that was to die for and everyone else ordered a sundae.    We decided to enjoy our ice cream at the park across the street and because it was a beautiful day it was pretty packed, everyone was just hanging out.  We found a spot and set up our picnic/beach mat that I always keep in the trunk and after getting settled we started to stuff our face when I looked up and saw a man totally naked walking across the park.  WHAT? I was still confused so I asked out loud is that guy naked?  Of course everyone looked and we all said EWWWW.  It was gross and funny coz the guy was just walking normally totally naked not a care in the world and the only thing he was wearing was a back pack.  Really guy?  Then right after, a guy walked passed us asking if anyone wanted weed.  We finished our ice cream and moved on. 

Have a great weekend!

OOTD: Lace, Pearls and Leather

We had breakfast at Porto's in Burbank and walked around.  Didn't realized that there are plenty of vintage shops but sadly they were still closed.  I did however get a skirt from a store I will surely go back to.  The store has an interesting concept and I'll go into details about that along with other stuff on Savvy Thursday.

OOTD:

Anthropologie Lace jacket

F21 cami

Trouve Leather Pants from Nordstrom Rack

Pearl Statement Necklace from Philippines

LV Roses Pochette and strap

Fendi Sunglasses from Neiman Marcus Last Call

Hope you had a wonderful day!

Trendy Friday: 3 Trends one post

What I wore Friday: Flower statement necklace, off white blazer and neon. Could I get more trendier?

I finally found the perfect off white blazer at H&M.  The sleeves are a little long but I usually scrunch them up.

F21 tank top (Old)

Vintage belt

This isn't a skirt it's actually a Skort from Nordstrom Rack

Necklace from TJ Maxx

Happy Mother's Day!!!  Got you Mommies flowers.

Savvy Finds Thursday

On Thursdays I will be showcasing my savvy finds whether it's from a vintage shops, flea market or stores like Nordstrom Rack.

Remember when I talked about Hoarders?  Well sadly I've seen all the episodes available on NetFlix then I moved onto Pawn Stars. I really like that show.  It's entertaining and educational.  I know that some episodes or all are staged but its still entertaining. Anyhoo, back to hoarders.  If there's anything I hoard it would be custom jewelry.  It used to be handbags but as I got older not so much.  Changing handbags for each outfits just became too time consuming and I figured quality over quantity is much better.

The first time I've heard of Swarovski crystals was through a friend who hung a Swarovski crystal heart in her car.  I remembered this moment because I think it's ridiculous to have any crystals hanging in your car considering when sun light hits it the driver behind you is blinded.  It's happened to me before and I've cursed the driver.

 Savvy Finds Thursday: Swarovski 7 Crystal Necklace

  I was on my way out the store empty handed when I decided to stop at the jewelry case. This necklace caught my eyes.  I immediately thought of a wedding I'm a bridesmaid for and the color of our dress is charcoal so I was intrigued.  I inspected it closer and even though I'm not really an expert on Swarovski crystals I know that the Swarovski logo is a swan which is hanging from the clasp.  The crystal is sparkly and hefty with no scratches, it's in mint condition.  It would be a great pairing with my bridesmaid dress.

I purchased it for $22 at my favorite neighborhood vintage shop.

I was curious to see if they still have this necklace on the Swarovski site but I found it at Macy's for $350.  Score!!!

Macy's: A natural inspiration. Swarovski's innovative gold tone mixed metal statement necklace features seven clear crystals in an exclusive cut. Each one is embellished with small crystals, creating breathtaking light reflections. Approximate length: 16-1/2 inches.

Macy's: $350

Vintage shop: $22

___________________

Savings of $328

While I was at the mall with a friend I saw this necklace on a mannequin and checked out the price not checking who it's made by.

Nordstrom

$98

I wasn't planning on spending $98 that day plus with my shopping prohibition I couldn't anyway.

Last week I found this at TJ Maxx. I thought it looked similar to the Nordstrom necklace I was checking out but at that time I wasn't sure if it was the same but no matter I also liked this one.  The tag said Tasha.

$30

Nordstrom Tasha Spike Necklace

Ball beads intersperse with bold, airy triangles to create a spiky effect in a tribal-inspired necklace.

• Lobster clasp closure.
• Approx. length: 17 1/2" with 3" extender.
• Approx. drop: 3 1/2".
• Silvertone or goldtone plate.
• By Tasha; imported.

Nordstrom: $98

TJ Max: $30

_______________

Savings of $68

Until next Thursday. 

Rezel

Link Up Monday

First weekend of the month means flea market weekend.  I was a actually really good and didn't end up buying some vintage necklaces that would've cost a pretty penny, good thing I ran out of ammo and needed an ATM but the ATM machines were located all the way by the entrance so I figured if the necklace is still there next month then I'll get it but by that time I'll probably like something else.  Besides next weekend we'll be driving home to LA to spend time with my Mommy for Mother's day but we're celebrating it on Sat. and Sunday is Rose Bowl Flea Market which is a big chunk of the day then drive back.

My Mom is pretty hard to shop for so we just take her out to lunch and ask what she wants so there won't be any surprises.  My Mother-in-law is a lot easier to shop for because she's still following the trends vs my Mom who doesn't have a particular style and doesn't socialize much so she always says she doesn't need anything.  What are you giving your Mom for her special day?

Two Birds Inspiration Monday

Carrie Underwood

Vintage beaded and sequins top from Rose Bowl Flea Market

The vendor is from Japan and she has plenty of cool stuff but everything else wasn't a perfect fit like this one. She told me that it's actually a stage costume from a Japanese pop star in the 60's.  I don't know if that's true or not I just really liked it and the craftmanship of the beading is amazing.  It's pretty hefty due to all the beading and sequins.  It's hard to find great quality pieces like this without paying top dollars for it and I got it for $25.  I had to adjust the colors of the picture above so that you can see the pearls in the middle of the flower.  I wanted to take a close up but then my camera battery died.

Always skinny jeans from Gap

Gold bracelet and shoes from Nordstrom Rack

I'm linking up with Two Birds,  Not Dead Yet Style,  and Thrifters Anonymous.  Check them out to see what other bloggers are wearing this Monday.