Weekend at Grandma's

carousel kids

Boz was on a week long camping trip this last week, so the kids and I went to stay at my parents house while he was gone so I could get a little extra help. My parents are so amazing with the kids, and my mom always has loads of fun activities planned for us when we come over. ALSO, they have this amazing little gym at their apartment complex, and since they're both off work right now, I was able to go workout anytime I wanted! We all got so spoiled.

in my gym clothes, gettin' ready to get buff

the kids hanging out in their drive-in-movie box seat

one of the first nights we were there my parents took us out for pizza!
"smile pretty, Clementine!"

"I fucking LOVE coloring!"
Bowie's first time in a restaurant! 

after we ate dinner we went next door to a candy shop where I got these adorable buttons!
"Honey Buns" is my favorite :3

Bowie wearing my sunglasses on the drive home

The next morning we went to Howarth park

Clementin was SO excited to ride the ponies! 

next we all rode the train!
Bowie and I got the first seat up front.

Granny and Clem were right behind us

only posting this picture because my hair looks amaze.

I GOT TO PET PIGS!!! I RUBBED THEIR FAT LITTLE BELLIES!
This was a huge deal for me. I had real tears in my eyes, and I'm getting all emotional about it now just thinking about it. Pigs have been my favorite animal since I was a  little girl, they are simply the most amazing creatures ever. These piggies are only 3 months old, and I was told they will be around 600 lbs once they turn one! WOW. 

still glowing from the pigs, watching Clemmie pet chickens.

"AT DAWN WE RIDE!"

 

we rode the carousel a few times since the kids loved it so much.

 after we got off of the carousel for the last time Clementine started SOBBING! We sat down on a bench to calm her down and we were like "Clementine didn't you have fun today? Didn't you like petting all of the animals, riding the rides, and playing at the park?" and she said "I liked all of that stuff! I'm just sad because we have to LEAVE!" so I reminded her that we took a lot of pictures that she could look at anytime she wanted to remember her time at the park, and that when Daddy got back from his trip we could all go back together. That seemed to cheer her up.

we spent the next day at the pool!

Happy boy loves the water!

a sure sign of a good time is two passed out kids.

Thank you so much to my wonderful parents for taking such good care of us this weekend! We had so much fun, and the kids are loving looking at all of their pictures over and over again!

♥ Rilakkuma Picnic ♥

 Oh man, it's been a while since I've done a nail post here! 

I had a bit of free time today while my mom was watching the kids, so I decided fix the jacked up manicure I was rocking. I've been wanting to attempt a gingham print for a while now (I'm gaga for gingham), and gingham makes me think of picnics, and picnics make me think of TEDDY BEARS (teddy bear picnic. I'm five. whatever), and the cutest bear I can think of is the ever adorable RILAKKUMA!

So here's a quick tutorial on how to get a gingham print on your nails:

I started with a classic white base, but I imagine you could do whatever color you wanted.

then I did three vertical and three horizontal stripes with china glaze for audrey

where ever my light blue stripes overlapped I painted a square of a brighter blue

add a clear coat to hide your layer bumps and you've got a CUTE gingham!

 

 

Style Stalking: Marina and the Diamonds Electra Heart

Marina wearing steve madden gold glitter shazzam shoes

I've always been a fan of Marina's style, but her transformation into Electra Heart is really just my taste. I often see pictures of her and go "OHMYGOD I own that!" or recognize pieces I've seen her wear in the stores that I shop at. 

so here's a quick list where to get some of my favorite Marina worn items

TopShop fluffy ballet wrap (I own this, it's so soft and comfy)
Kurt Geiger London Golden Wedge (ugh! I want these so bad! They come in mint too)

TopShop Heart Flock Trousers
(Marina was wearing these when we met her. I own them in baby pink.)

ASOS Tea Party Print Dress
(my lady friend MajorStranger owns this)

TopShop Fluffy Ballet Wrap
TopShop Organza Full Skirt

TopShop Floral Organza Crop Top
TopShop Lace Organza Prom Skirt

Beauty School Knockout

Do you see how shiny my hair is? Let me tell you about it...

 My darling Kiki-bananas came to visit this weekend so I could help her put some bride of frankenstein highlights in her hair. While we were at Sally's picking up bleaching treasures, I treated myself to a few new beauty items and I'm sure glad I did.

left to right: Ardell False Eyelashes - Demi Luvies, pink boar bristle teasing brush, brazilian tech keratin smoothing shampoo and deep conditioner, ion dry shampoo.

• Ardell Invisiband Eye Lashes - Demi Luvies I get asked a lot what kind of eyelashes I use, and here they are! These lashes are amazing. I used to only use cheap drug store lashes because I didn't see the point in anything fancy, but these babies are a game changer. The band they're on is super soft and pliable, so they bend with your lids. I used to always have a problem with drug store lashes where they would pop off my lid on the corners of my eyes by the end of the night, but that's not a problem with the invisiband lashes. I've actually fallen asleep with them on (not on purpose) and they were still in place and looking great the next day. 
• Boar Bristle Teasing Brush Let me start this out by saying that when it comes to hair, for me, the bigger the better. While walking around looking at stuff I saw this teasing brush and it blew my mind (I'm super simple, I know). I have a rat tail teasing comb that I adore, but just looking at this thing I KNEW it was going to be amazing, and I was right. I tried it out as soon as we got home and with just a few back combing strokes my hair was standing straight up off my head. No hairspray involved. Brilliant. 
• Brazilian Tech Keratin Smoothing Shampoo & Brazilian Tech Deep Penetrating Conditioning Treatment the first thing I said when we walked into Sally's was that I wanted something that would make my hair more shiny without making it greasy. I've been super bummed lately because my hair has been looking really dull and I was worried that it had something to do with the hair dye I've been using, but I REALLY like the color and didn't want to have to change it again. I bought the sample size of these because too often I've bought new shampoo and liked it OKAY but not enough to finish the whole bottle. Scroll back up real quick and look at the picture of me and Kiki again. See how shiny my hair is? That is NOT normal for me and is 100% because of this shampoo and conditioner. I fully plan on buying the full size of these and recommending it to all of my friends.
• Ion Dry Shampoo okay, this is my favorite. They were out of the dry shampoo that I normally get and I was super bummed about it because I was pretty loyal to that stuff, but this is seriously so much better. You know how most dry shampoo either has a powerful flower scent, or you can get the fragrance free kind that, let's be real, still smells like baby powder? THIS stuff smells like CANDY! WATERMELON CANDY! AND it doesn't leave white in your hair. Not only can I not see any powder in my hair when I use it, but it doesn't dull the shine. It just leaves my hair looking clean and smelling sweet. I've been converted. 

so that's my beauty treasure!

I'll leave you with a video that has nothing to do with anything, but it's super cute and you should really watch it:

Marina and the Diamonds @ the Fillmore 7/11/2012

(source)

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of seeing Marina and the Diamonds preform at the Fillmore in San Francisco with my beautiful sister-in-law KIKI. This was actually our (me, Kiki, Boz, and Tom's) third time seeing her preform in the city, so we knew what we were in for and we were really excited about it. I made Boz set the alarm on his phone for me when I found out she was touring again so I could be one of the first people to get tickets. 
I love her truly madly deeply. 

here's what I wore:

kitty nails

top: Forever 21

skirt: topshop

socks: DIY

shoes: ebay

I was also wearing one of my big white felt bows in the back of my hair, but failed to get a picture of it :(

Boz was posing like Bowie

snuggle buns

obsessed with this skirt.
I was shinning like a magical (land loving) mermaid.

we stopped for energy drinks on the way there, I'm so used to waiting in the car with the kids while Boz runs into whatever store to get whatever thing that I did just that, even tho I was alone. Waiting in the car is LONELY without the baby nuggs.

we got there early hoping that we would be able to get a spot up front, but the line was already wrapped around the block.


...Mmmm KFC

once inside I met up with my darling internet friends 
ohitsjustcecily,  tangerinecoloredskies, & xanadujulie!
Julie bought us all matching Marina hair ribbons! SO CUTE! 

KIKI!!!!!

I call this my Adele pose, because "I set fire to the rain, watched it pour as I TOUCHED YOUR FACE"

 I don't even have words for how wonderful she was. Like, I knew she was going to be amazing because I had seen her before, but the show was sold out and the energy was amazing. Marina fans are the best fans and they really add to the experience. We made friends with anyone who would talk to us, I sang and danced with strangers, everyone was so friendly and fun.

I had a few people come up to me after the show who recognized me from tumblr!
on the right in that AMAZING pink dress is Jemma (http://neonlolita.tumblr.com/) and her beautiful friend Kim! How awesome are those flower crowns?

me and Julie hiding behind my impromptu paper fan. My face was melting off from all the dancing and jumping around. Bangs were a bad choice.

 We waited around after the show fingers crossed that we would get to meet her this time, and were told that if we waited in a line outside that she would be taking pictures and signing posters for her fans. YES! 

the girls and I waiting with our posters

we waited for what felt like forever, freezing our buns off, but nothing was going to stop us from meeting our lady love!
all of the fans around us were so lovely! I had so much fun talking to everyone and making new friends.

AND THEN IT WAS OUR TURN!

flawless goddess Marina was RIGHT THERE! The cutest person I have ever seen, and she was WEARING MY PANTS!

 After I took this picture for Kiki and Julie is was my turn! I was so excited, but as I walked towards her, feeling like I was going to puke, her handler/security dude jumped in the way PUSHED ME and told her it was time to go. Our new friends standing right behind us managed to snap a quick picture with her before the handlers/security men tossed her in the getaway car and drove off. I was STUNNED! I couldn't believe that had just happened. It was all so quick, and she was right there! I may have had a few too many cocktails, and SHE WAS RIGHT THERE!


I totally cried in front of everyone. 

I was so embarrassed


Malorie, one of the girls who we had met in line, came up and comforted me.  She even gave me the Marina poster that she had signed. I can not tell you how much that meant to me. Like I said before, Marina fans are the best fans. I've never seen so many caring and friendly people in one place. 

the poster given to me by  Malorie, and the Marina ribbon from Julie

It was a WONDERFUL time. Even though I personally didn't get to meet her, the show was FLAWLESS, the drinks were strong, and the friendships I made are priceless. 


It was perfect.