Birthday Girl

It was my birthday on Tuesday and I must say, it was a pretty special day! I'm a very lucky girl woman (I am 29 now after all). My boss had a candle with a huge piece of strawberry cake (Mmmmmm!) and she whispered to all the kids to make sure and tell me happy birthday and how pretty I was. Not gonna lie, I'll take any cheap hit at my ego, haha! I thought it was so very sweet. 

After work I was supposed to meet all my friends out for a nightcap or two-ish… at this inexpensive, great place (we're teachers that live in the most expensive city in the world; these prerequisites are imparative) but the place had closed down last week! Bummer, man. So we moved just decided to move the festivities to my place for simplicity's sake. Even with the hiccup, everyone came with such great energy and I ended up having a great night dishing with my pals. It can be hard being away from home on special days like birthdays so I feel so blessed to have people here that make being an expat fun. 

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Smitten Kitten

I love any holiday themed fashion blog post - even if it is a little late! 

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Hello Kitty and this dress. 

First of all, I'm currently an elementary teacher which means I'm inundated with adorableness from all angles - whether it's the kids themselves or the things they drag into my classroom, such as Hello Kitty paraphernalia. Maybe I've been in Asia too long, but I can't help it. I want to ask every little girl, "Dahling, where did you get that divine Hello Kitty tote bag?" 

...which is hard because 1) their answer is most likely to be, "Dunno. Mom got it." and 2) I try very hard to focus on the process of their learning and their efforts as a good student and friend - not on what they are wearing. But y'all! They're so gosh-darn cute! 

And when I saw this basket bag walking down the streets of Chinatown (I actually think this might be a knock-off, realized after the fact) I literally did a 180. Had to have it. Don't need your Mom's shopping advice after all, Maggie. 

Of course, nothing is paired more to perfection than with this delightful dress - the fit and flair silhouette that feels made for me (fantastic length and all!), the fresh pink and white stripes, and crisp pleats. Did I mention I got this for $8? I would be drooling over it all but I don't think my date would find that very romantic… maybe. 

Happy Valentine's day! I hope you had a great day cuddled up to the loved one of your choosing and looked fabulous doing it! <3

Dress: Uptown Cheapskate (Forever 21) 

Everything else: Thrifted, gifted, or in local Singaporean markets

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Souvenirs

This is one of my favorite outfits I've worn in a long time - it's so colorful and fun and has so many great details. To make it even more fun, each piece is from a different country!

I got the dress for $6 at a resale consignment shop called Uptown Cheapskate in the States - similar to a Plato's Closet where they will only resell things that are from certain store or of a certain style. While the hunt from a regular thrift store or Goodwill is fun, it's sometimes nice to just go through a whole rack of incredible deals and know most of them are trendy enough to take out the guess work. I particularly love the lace detail on this dress - the straps on the shoulders and then the lace panels on the sides. And what a great color combination - mint and navy! 

The hot pink scarf I got in Cambodia. We went on a tour outside the city of Phnom Penh with Grasshopper Adventures - I highly recommend them! We biked on an island in the Mekong Delta and got to take in all the sights - mango trees, farm animals, the children running along side us yelling "Hello! Hello!" Our guide was amazing and she took us a silk farm where we got to see how they make the silk from beginning to end. And of course, go shopping for silk products! 

The earrings I purchases on a trip to the cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador while studying aboard there. An Ecuadorian woman had the cutest little cafe where she made her own jewelry. When I saw she had cleverly beaded parrots into the earring design, I had to have them! Mindo is known for having a lot of birds and butterflies so it's a perfect souvenir - on top of that, we got to go flying ourselves while zip lining through the forest! 

The purse is from Thailand but I must admit I didn't buy it. It has been collecting dust on a shelf at my work and finally I asked my boss what the deal was - she said I could have it! Score! I know that it was most likely made in Thailand though as I always see similar bags when we pop on over there. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Thailand! The food, the beaches, the laid-back, kind folks and did I mention the food? And this purse - the colorful embroidery is top-knotch. 

And then the sunglasses and shoes are from Singapore, where I currently live! I wore this outfit to go see the new Mona Lisa exhibit. If it comes to your city, GO SEE IT. It's incredible. The whole exhibit is explaining the history behind the "discovery" of a second, younger Mona Lisa and then all the proof that it is indeed a Da Vinci through and through. That man's genius is astounding, the exhibit was so fascination and best of all - we got super up close and personal with the painting! I couldn't believe it. I've seen the other (older) Mona Lisa in the Louvre and man, it's a zoo there! It was so chill at the Singapore exhibit - we just walked right up to it (it was in a glass case). 

Thanks for letting me take you down memory lane! 

Have you picked up any good souvenirs yourself lately? 

Dress: Uptown Cheapskate | Scarf: Cambodian | Earrings: Ecuador | Purse: Thailand 

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