Illustrated Wardrobe • Dress Desire

I love drawing clothes!  Recreating the lines and patterns is just so fun!  These are just a few of the dresses that need to be in my closet, but are residing in my pretend Pinterest wardrobe right now.

Even with Fall in full swing and Winter around the corner, I'm still obsessed with brights and pastels.  There's no getting away from the vintage silhouettes either.  I would totally wear any of these dresses with some darker colored tights and a peacoat or bomber jacket to give them a Fall vibe.  To be honest, besides some sweaters and cardigans, I don't really have season-specific pieces in my wardrobe.  Especially after learning the history behind some fashion rules.  Take that white after Labor Day!  Everything I wear is repurposed all year long!

Do you think some colors and cuts are too Summery to bust into Fall or Winter?

• Yellow Stripes
• Pink Polka
• White Collar
• Yellow Peter Pan
• Classic Teal. 

Fall Uniform

If you've seen any of my daily drawings, then you know that I love a cardigan.  And this outfit is pretty much my fall uniform.  I have shirts and cardigans in every color so the possibilities are endless!  The challenge is figuring out how to style it so I don't look like a cartoon character wearing the same thing every day haha.

The shoes make a big difference in how this outfit looks.  I wear my mocs every day, keeping it casual.  Heels and more jewelry would dress it up.  Boots and scarf would be a more cozy look.  Chucks and pony tail make a good run-to-the-grocery-store outfit.  I love how jeans, tee, and a cardigan together make great bones for a ton of different outfits.

Shirt • Target (I got this one about 10 years ago!)
Cardigan • Target
Jeans • Gap
Shoes • Minnetonka Moccasins from Nordstrom Rack
Necklace • Vintage (Belonged to my Grandmom.)
Sunglasses • Betsey Johnson (similar)

The Forever 21 Bats and Cats Line is Literally the Cat's Pajamas

I was perusing Fashionably Geek, one of my most favorite fashion blogs, when I saw a pencil skirt with Batman symbols all over it and there was no hesitation in my clicks.  Turns out that Forever 21 has a ridiculously huge line of Batman and Catwoman (!!!) clothing for sale right meow!

Now, it has to be said that Catwoman is one of my favorite characters created in all of storytelling.  You've seen my Catwoman collection, but have I also mentioned that I have every modern day issue (90s included!) of every Catwoman comic and graphic novel?  Well I do.  Also, I totally met both Julie Newmar AND Lee Meriwether.  (After freaking out and walking around outside for an embarrassingly long time to work up the courage haha!)  So yeah...I'm a nerd for Catwoman.

I'm definitely going to visit a Forever 21 soon, so I can add another Catwoman item to the collection.  I've picked out my favorites to share above.

1) Batman Printed Midi-Skirt 

2) Catty PJ Shorts 

3) Cropped Catwoman Sweater 

4) Batty Canvas Loafers 

5) Spotlight Nail Set

B & A Co.

Andy and I have been admiring this old HEB for a couple of months and were pretty stoked to come take some shots down here.  I was so happy with this outfit I put together the other day!  I had to go out into civilization for actual business, so my usual uniform of a white v-neck and cutoffs wouldn't really cut-it.  Even though the folks I was meeting with probably wouldn't care, cuz they're totally cool...but I digress.  I wanted to dress up.  Plus it's always fun to dress up a t-shirt.

Working from home, it's so easy to just settle into your routine, toss on whatever's clean (or not) and sit at your desk all day.  But it's so important for me to step away from the screen and mix up my day.  Even just putting on a skirt instead of jeans or yoga pants help put me in a different mind set.  It helps to get me out of the routine and starts me thinking about new things and feeling inspired ^_^

Shirt • New BROhemia
Skirt • H&M (a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away)
Shoes • Urban Outfitters (2 years ago)
Bag • A gift from Andy
Bracelet • Son of a Sailor

Minnesota - The Land of 10,000 Mosquitos

Shirt • Ermine Vintage (cut down with Skunkboy's DIY) | Shorts • Abercrombie (skinny is similar) I cut off | Shoes • Seychelles | Bag • Loungefly | Sunglasses • Fred Flare | Earrings • Room Service Vintage

When I was poking around Ermine Vintage last week, I saw this shirt and had to have it.  I've never been to Minnesota, but I can't resist an ironic tourist t-shirt.  Instead of Land of 10,000 Lakes, it says Land of 1000's Mosquitos!  Get it?!  :P  It was too cheesy not to scoop up.  The earrings are also from my jaunt in North Loop and I'll write about Room Service Vintage for this week's post...so keep a look out for it on Thursday...this place was so cool!  

I thought it would be fun to do a post showing my regular summer uniform.  No doubt you've seen these cutoffs in a few daily drawings.  I like to mix it up with dresses every now and then, but if you see me at the grocery store, I'm probably in a tank and cutoffs and flip flops.  Not bad, considering Texas summers make you want to go out in your birthday suit haha!

Office Christmas Party

Our company Christmas party was this week and we got dressed up! It's been a pretty exhausting work week and it was fun to just go out and see all the people I'd just seen 2 hours prior, but a fancier version of them. I didn't have my camera or phone out, but was lucky to get a couple of shots from coworkers.

These are some of my girls! I'm so lucky to get to work with these ladies every day. They are phenomenal at what they do, are totally hilarious and they indulge me in my cat videos during our daily meetings ^_^

Andy and I took these on the way home. We were waiting for the Metro and I took a picture of my legs...and he too a picture of me taking a picture of my legs haha. I might have to find another reason to wear this outfit and make up again ^_^ BY THE WAY! I tweeted about watching Lisa Eldridge make up videos all day and she totally tweeted back at me! Huge fan girl moment for a minute. She said I looked good and liked my bow <3 I totally made that bow the night before because I wanted something else for my hair. Anyway, yeah, kind of awesome.

<3

dress » Red Velvet

tights » American Apparel

shoes » Steve Madden

makeup tutorial » Lisa Eldridge

I'm in Love

Top Left to Right:

Shop Red Leaf - Bubble Bath Dough

*I love their packaging so much. The branding is excellent and color palette makes me happy.

Moxie Madness - The Hotline

*She's an awesome cool chick that makes awesome cool things. This is my favorite picture and shirt, my Grandmom used to have a machine just like this.

Sugar bubbles - Summer 1

*Teal is one of my favorite colors right now and the photography is just stunning on these bracelets.

Love and a Sandwich - Monsters for your Ears

*Why, yes. I would like monsters for my ears! Look how fun!

Akka Design - Daisy Blue

*Love this new shop. If I any money, I'd be all over it! The colors are gorgeous.

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Just some of my recent favorites. I was having writer's block this morning and just wanted to play in Adobe Illustrator, so I did! I hope you like these...I think they are wonderful! Tell me what you think ^_^

Methinks tomorrow will be a tutorial day.

Favorite Friday

Here's some of new favorites on Etsy!

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade thepinksamurai.etsy.com

Recycled T-Shirt Necklace

So I'm addicted to my Google Reader and someone wrote about this great tutorial on Instructables for those super cute layered knit necklace/scarves.  Check out the one I made from one of Dick's old band shirts (don't worry, it was a super old Fall Out Boy one that both of us are too embarrassed to wear).

GO HERE TO MAKE YOUR OWN!

Etsy Giveaways

So Etsy Giveaways Blog is my new favorite thing.  I found out about a while ago and added it to my Google Reader right quick.  Everyday, post blogs about giveaways that Etsy sellers are having on their own blogs.  I've used them before and saw that my own readership increased because of it!  I've also won some really cool stuff because of it too.

Pandacub Cafe offered up some goodies a few weeks ago and I totally won!  I love her shop and blog, so I was really excited.  She even let me swap out part of prize for a pair of earrings that I had hearted in her shop...and wear them all the time.  I already gave my sister the pair of blue panda pony tail holders (I kept the pink ones) and the bobby pins are going to be a perfect birthday gift for a cousin that may or may not be reading this, so I'll keep it on the DL.  

I've also won a couple other pairs of earrings and a necklace, so I'll try and keep up and post them here.  Until then, please visit Pandacub's Shop!  You'll love everything, I promise ^_^

Fashion Designer Geek-Out in three...two...

Holy Crap!  So Dick and I went on a trip up to Philadelphia with our school for the annual College Day that the city holds.  We decided to ditch the group and go walking around the city by ourselves.  We've visited there a few times before and just enjoy being there.  So we're just strolling around looking at shops and having a good time when someone comes out of a store right next to me...

JAY MCCARROLL!  He was about 6 inches from me and all both of us could do was lose our minds for about two minutes haha.  Of course I'm kicking myself for not saying hi or asking for a picture.  I'm a big Project Runway nerd and Dick is a fan of his too!  And we absolutely went into the store he came out of. It was Lush, a store that has fresh, handmade cosmetics.  I got some shampoo, conditioner and a shower fizzy they call Emotibombs and a free one of these just because they are awesome.  Love it.