Birthday Gets! (super-belated)

Hello all!  Because I am forever late to the party, I'm only now getting around to showing you what you what I got for my birthday, waaaaaaaay back on February 28th~  Really, I've been meaning/wanting/needing to make this post for awhile now, so I figured I'd better do it before it gets any later than it already is.  XD

I took myself shopping on the afternoon of my birthday, after a lovely morning with birthday doughnuts, extra sleep, and video games.  My store of choice was a local store, since I was hoping that I would walk out with some amazing deals on great pieces.  And you know what?  I did!  Here's what I got:

Cute striped dress! Super on-trend for spring. Brand: one clothing.

Black peep-toe pumps from Madden Girl by Steve Madden. These were a steal at only $15.99!

New jeans from Old Navy. They were having a $19 sale, and these fit so nicely, I just had to get them!

And here's my makeup for the day (sorry, I didn't take an outfit shot as it wasn't anything special, just comfy for trying on clothes):

Lol, blurry MySpace style photo~ Wearing a black cotton tunic, and a  crown necklace from F21. Diamond Lash  Glamourous Eye uppers, and I THINK I had on Princess Eye lowers, but I'm not sure anymore. XD

After the shopping, I went to Red Robin to have dinner with N, who was super-awesome to meet me on her way home from work to spend at least part of my birthday with me, which I really appreciated, as I love making as big a deal as I can out of my birthday.  But unfortunately, I was too busy gobbling my delicious chicken dish to take any pictures of our food, or even the milkshake that N bought me in honor of the day, fuuuuuuu~  However, it was all wonderful, and a great ending to an awesome birthday, so I'm happy!

BUT! There's one more present I got myself, and that is something I've wanted for a VERY long time:

Can you guess what's in the box???

That's right! I got my first pair of Jeffery Campbell shoes! I chose the classic Lita boots in taupe suede. They're sooooooo gorgeous in person and I LOVE wearing them so much, OMG! Here are some photos:

My lovely Litas! I ordered them from Nordstrom; so lucky to find them in my size and in the color I wanted!

Side shot. Super-cute, aren't they? I can't wait to do Fall coordinates with them~

The Litas had to disappear for the summer, since it's been so hot in California these past few months (would've been crazy to wear these in our 100+ degree weather), but I'm so ready for the weather to cool down so I can wear them again! I was afraid they might look a bit awkward on my huge feet (I wear a size 10 >_<), but they look great! And I love the extra height these give me! If you're thinking of getting a pair, GO FOR IT! I can't wait until my budget allows for another pair~ :3

Anyway, hopefully there will be a coordinate or inspiration post coming up in the future, and maybe some reviews soon, so please look forward to it!

Until next time~

Holiday Wishlist & A New Project

Hello again!  Happy December~  Have you got any Christmas shopping done?  I've been super busy these past few weeks with work, studying/worrying about the JLPT I took on Sunday, and with getting some very important paperwork in the mail that I really haven't found time to blog.

But now that I have the major stuff done, I'm happy to get back to posting!  And what better thing to post about than holiday wishes?  ^  ^  But first, random outfit shot from the end of October:

Navy cardigan from H&M, black skirt from Target, dragon pendant from Black Mineral Market; dark brown mouton boots, black belt, and black top are no brand.  Previously posted wig from eBay on my head.  ^  ^

Now, I've been seeing wishlist posts popping up on my Twitter and Blogger Dashboards, so I thought it would be fun to put one together for myself!  I'm always wanting (or needing) something, and it was a fun challenge to just focus on the things I really want to see under my tree this year.

Anyway, here it is:

Clockwise from bottom left: Patterned tote by Smoothie (YesStyle), Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots in black leather, Riley Tall Slouch boots by Lower East Side (Payless Shoe Source), Black Toggle Jacket (Torrid).

Nice and small, right? :D  Except for the Litas, all of these are reasonably affordable items that would be wonderfully useful and stylish to boot! Hopefully my Santas will be kind this year~

And there's something else I'm up to for the month:

I was inspired by Sara Mari and Mika-chan to do this project, since I thought it was a great and useful idea.  I always have a lot of things I need to do or want to do, so I'm hoping to use this as a way to get on track with some of those things and end this year on a productive note.  ^  ^  My list is as follows:

1) Recycle my old laptop

2) Clean out my Internet Explorer favorites

3) Donate uneeded/unwanted clothes, shoes, and toys to charity

4) Save money!

5) Start and finish "Project Calendar"

6) Finish at least 3 drawings from my Drawing To-Do list

7) Do my makeup Gal-styled more often

8) De-fuzz cardigans

9) Do embroidery for PSP case

10) Make more time to study Japanese regularly

11) Put together a Christmas wishlist collage

12) Get rid of unecessary paperwork/receipts/trash/clutter

I think I'll borrow Mika's idea and stick this in my sidebar, just so I can be reminded of it as much as possible.  And if you like the idea, you can head over to the original post at Hello, Friend, read about how the project was started, and learn how to get started yourself!

Also, please feel free to follow me on my Twitter!  I'm looking into starting a Formspring account next year, but in the mean time, you can leave me a comment with your questions, if you have any.  XD  Hopefully I'll be posting again soon, maybe with a fashion post; we'll see.  But in the meantime, stay warm and cheerful!

Until next time~

Fall Shoes from SCawaii

The September 2011 issue of SCawaii had a spread about the on-trend shoe styles and colors for Fall.  Since I love shoes (nothing like a pair of shoes to make your day sometimes!), I wanted to share the spread!  Take a look at S Cawaii's pick of the Fall shoe offerings:

They're all so pretty! Which ones would you choose?

The go-to colors are Navy, Orange, Khaki (of the green-ish variety), and Bordeaux (which is a shade of wine..?).  I love the richness of all these colors.  They'd certainly make a monotone outfit pop!  Or they could be a great statement to any coordinate. 

My favorites?  The bordeaux Lita-style boots, the t-strap pumps, and the mary-jane wedge pumps.  And how cute are the bows on the orange mary-jane pumps!  It's a cute, even DIY-able trend, actually.  But those three shoe styles would be all I need shoe-wise for the season, aside from boots as we move into colder weather.  ^  ^

Which do you like?  Have you seen any shoes in these styles at your local stores? If so, where?

Also, I'm looking into getting a new commenting system, since I'm having trouble with the one Blogger has by default.  Any suggestions?  I'm considering Disqus, but other options would be great.  Thanks!

Until next time~!

On Shoe Wants

I've been thinking a lot about what my closet is missing lately, and I think I have it: SHOES.  Not that I don't have, but the shoes I *do* have I find aren't fitting where I feel like my style is going.  There have been times recently where I can't wear a coordinate I thought up because I don't have the shoes for it.  And since shoes often make or break an outfit, I want to have shoes that I can work into any look.  Makes sense, right?  ^ ^
Of the shoes I have, I find that I don't wear some of them at all, while others I feel are strictly seasonal.  And still others are pretty much dead (like my seven-year old red & black Converse hi-tops).  So I totally think it's time for new shoes!  Sometimes I wish that I could snap my fingers and trade each pair of shoes that I don't wear or are not suitable to wear for a pair that I would wear and love to death.  :D  But since I can't do that (yet), I've got to do things the old-fashioned way and buy them.  ^  ^

Lately, the kinds of shoes I'm wanting to wear are sandals, boots, and mary janes.  I love shoes in non-regular colors and designs, so here are some of the shoes I want in my life:

Jeffrey Campbell LITA Boots

Photo from CCW blog.

I know these are, like, SUPER popular right now, and with good reason!  They're cute, and they come in TONS of colors.  And I mean TONS.  I think that I'd go for the brown leather Litas in the middle row, but I also really like the purple suede pair.  I haven't gotten my hands on a pair of these yet, but you can check out Pink Kitten, Cherri Pop Fiction, and Universal Doll for more info and posts on different styles and colors the Lita comes in and where to buy.  Even if these were off-trend for Gal or anything else, I'd *still* want and wear them.

 Torrid Blue & Brown Triple Medallion Sandal

Available at Torrid, both in-store & online.  Photo from Torrid website.

I was in a Torrid store the weekend before last, and these almost instantly caught my eye.  They had a similar pair last year around this time, so I was pleasantly surprised to see these sandals in store!  I think they're perfect for making a simple summer outfit based around shorts or a skirt with a cute top a little more dressed up.  But because they're so flat, I'd have to put some cushioning in... do they make shoe inserts for sandals like these?