camping

somewhat belated, but i spent 4th of july camping.  the campground was in the los padres national forest, which was about 20 mins outside of ojai.  normally i camp around some kind of body of water (ocean, lake, river...) but this campground wasn't near any water.  actually there is a reservoir near by, but we didn't find out until the end of the day before we were leaving.  oops!  anyway, camping fashion, its like... just dirty.  dirty hair, dirty shoes, dirt covered everything.  so naturally we just decided to have a photoshoot, cause why not?  its not like my hair is dirty or anything...

ray-ban aviators, lululemon bra (similar), vintage overalls (similar)

actually, it was a pretty fun camping trip - minus the lack of running water and the things that were supposed to be a bathroom (GROSS).  next time i need a beach within walking distance!

friday 5 (or 4)

another busy week (even with the mid-week day off), another week i barely blog. i swear after this weekend i'll get back to a regular schedule!  here is my friday 4 (i'm so lame this week).

 carlos found shade under a bush on the beach

spending a day at the beach

forcing carlos to be friends with olive

watching fireworks from my front porch

happy weekend!

4th of july pig roast

4th of july has come and gone - it seems like it was over so quickly and we spent way more time preparing for the pig roast at my mom's house than we had expected.  it was all worth it though.  the party was so, so, soooo much fun!  probably one of my favorite 4th of julys in a while.  we had lots of quick diy's - fabric garlands, painted signs, jar lanterns, and we even used an old bathtub as a cooler!  my sister (and future baker) made a awesome 3 layer cake - red velvet, vanilla, blue velvet with a cream cheese frosting. 

its baking time!

who doesn't love cream cheese frosting?? 

directions

all the plates and cutlery from branch

and then of course, there was the PIG - the star of the party really.

carving and shredding the pig - a man's job for sure

yummy

i don't usually eat pig/pork (mostly just bacon) but since my mom was having the party i decided i'd eat some.  even my sister, who recently started eating meat again, ate some.  we all agreed that it was the BEST.  the pig was raised, butchered, and cooked by my mom's friend - free range AND organic - but my mom did give the instructions that she did not want to see it alive and that the head was to be removed.

my favorite boys

my sister is laughing - i literally just poured half a beer on my head/back.  i don't know how it happened.

cute cake garlands i made

cake, i love you.

the outfit i decided on - t by alexander wang tank, rachel pally bandeau (similar bandeau), jbrand jeans, toms glitters

my sister broke my mom's lifelong rule (not the first time for either of us) and got some sparklers and then there was a thunderstorm and it rained twice, so we weren't scared of causing a major fire with the sparklers since all the brush was damp.  we also had a bonfire and smores (i was too full to participate) and these hoodlums (sisters friends + my bf) decided to throw like 10 sparklers in the fire.  not as exciting as it sounds.  but like i said before the party was so fun.  like really fun.  like so much fun i hope my mom does it every year!  hope you all had as much fun as i did this july 4th!

firework subsitute

i am heading out to the high desert to spend the remainder of the holiday weekend at my moms house.  since its the desert and its summer there is lots of dry brush so fireworks are a no (although my mom wouldn't allow them in the snow) so i'm trying to incorporate some glitter into my outfit.  i decided to give myself a manicure and used sally hansens salon effects in frock star - multi colored glitter to add some sparkle to my july 4th.

the nail polish strips come with instructions but i make a few modificatons.  i don't file my nails because it reminds me of nails on a chalkboard, but i do buff them.  i also put lotion on my cuticles before i push them up, it softens them so its a little easier (great trick i learned from anjelica!). 

i've tried a few different prints of these nail strips and so far this one was the hardest!  i don't know if it was a defective pack, or maybe the hot weather was melting the strips, but some of the strips wouldn't peel away from the clear plastic!  i managed to get enough strips off the plastic to do all my nails though.

hope you all have a fun and safe 4th!  i'll be posting some party diys too!

red white and blue

4th of july is just a week away, which means that its time to start thinking about outfits.  i'm not usually big on the whole wearing red white and blue for the holiday, but with colored denim trend right now i'm liking the idea more.  check out two looks with colored denim that are perfect for the 4th!

1. wildfox couture flag tee, 2. ray-ban new wayfarer, 3. jbrand cut-off short in bright royal, 4. woven red bracelet, 5. toms silver glitters, 6. longchamp le pilage tote in red

i will be at my mom's house in the high desert helping her set up for her 4th of july party so i definitely want a cool and comfy look for the day time.  this first look would be perfect for a day time bbq or pool party!  i love the longchamp tote in red - perfect to throw a towel, sunscreen and reusable water bottle in or as an overnight bag.  since we won't be having any fireworks out in the desert (its a major fire hazard, duhhh) i'll be wearing my favorite silver giltter toms for some sparkle!

1. ksubi super spray on narrow, 2. splendid striped cotton-silk blend tank, 3. bop bijoux star stud earrings, 4. asos leather bomber jacket, 5. madewell endless summer espadrille   

once the sun sets and the weather starts to cool down it will be time to cover up a bit more.  the splendid tank is a cotton/silk blend so it will be light and comfortable and look great with the red jeans!  while i probably won't actually be putting on espadrille wedges out in the desert at my mom's, madewell's espadrille wedge is perfect shoe for a evening of watching fireworks.  and if these two looks aren't patriotic enough for you, there are plenty of american flag inspired pieces out there for you to be as patriotic as you wanna be:

1. topshop american flag socks, 2. lauren moshi flag tote, 3. runawaydreamz vintage american flag shorts, 4. lita platform boot, 5. eagle earrings, 6. usa flag bikini 

 

does anyone have any special plans for the holiday?  or more importantly, special outfits?