summertime is calling me

i see that days are longer now and it is telling me that summer has arrived! 

my whole family loves, loves the beach. we grew up with frequent trips to anywhere that has sea and sand... until now. 

it is during summer that most weekends i find myself with sand beneath my toes... either with my family or with some friends or just me and hubby. am all too excited! even during this pre-summer outing, i had summer in my mind that i've since been looking for new beach destinations. {suggestions welcome}

so have you planned your summer already? have fun! i know i will...

swimwear : cotton on | shirt dress : props | beaded & studded braid bracelets : beads & bonds |

neon chain braided bracelet : downtown find | flipflops : havaianas

oh the sea, i love thee

my family and i love the beach and even when the water's shallow and all we can do is hang out by the shore, it is enough for us to while the afternoon away. hale manna was a dream and will always be one of our favorite places to visit. the serenity and peaceful mood of place lifted our stress away and we couldn't be any happier. this is day one of our visit and even after spending just the afternoon there, we already made plans to come back. 

polka dot ruffled maillot - cotton on | white denim cut-offs - thrifted | black wide-brimmed hat - cotton on, rubi shoes | oversized sunnies - urban outfitters, gifted by sister | bangles and bracelets - downtown finds 

i bloom blaum

i am not exactly a fan of florals, or am i? this outfit made me think twice, that i had to make a mental run down of the items in my closet. i may not be brave enough to embrace florals {or generally prints} in my wardrobe. yes, i have some prints here and there and take a double turn when i see prints on store windows... but when it comes to purchases, i seem to lean more towards the plain colored pieces as i think they are more practical and i can mix and match them more easily. and that's just my opinion!

i should probably be a bit more adventurous with florals and prints. maybe.

floral peplum blazer : props | top : buffalo by david bitton | city shorts : zara basics |

necklace : props | envelope clutch : rubi {cotton on} | gold watch : vernier {gifted by aimee} |

leather flower ring : bangkok find | oval ring : downtown find | bangles : china finds 

black open-toe heels : matthews

cheers to a great year!

i was trying to transition my style from vintage girly to vintage bohemian chic in an effort to streamline my style but i just couldn't resist the call of this black and white dress with the sailor collars. it was just too cool to pass up. i need a polka dress for new year's eve anyway so why not. 

to make the dress more bohemian chic though, i added the oxblood suede vest that i got from eden, pumped up the outfit with strappy booties, add layers of boho accessories and top it with my leather fringe bag. voila! 

right from the get go, i had a great feeling 2013 is going to be great year. and so far, i've been having the time of my life. how about you? how's your 2013 so far? 

black and white vintage polka dress - thrifted | oxblood red vest - eden's closet | strappy boots - denise's closet | stone necklace - lovechic.ph | gold chain necklace - mom's | fringe leather bag - urbanoutfitters.com | bracelets and bangle - downtown and bangkok finds | oversized black ring - forever 21, gifted by sweet | spiked connector ring - downtown find | black watch - gifted by sister