Instagram Diary // Solvang & Ostrich Land Edition

Last weekend I went home to drop off Pig dog at my family's home so that he could stay with them while Z and I go to the east coast for summer vacation.  I spent some good quality time with my sister: took ridiculous photos, laughed about stupid things, and shopped.  On Sunday, we decided to visit Solvang, a small danish tourist trap outside of Buelton, CA.  My sister and I have been to Solvang many times before when we were younger because we grew up on the Airforce base near-by. We always thought it was completely random that such a place existed in Central California, but now I am so happy that it does. We enjoyed bratwurst, sauerkraut, and other danish delights in the area.  After rekindling our love affair with Solvang, we decided to visit Ostrich Land. For $5, visitors gain admittance and are able to feed ostriches and emu's. Here are some photos that my sister and I took over the weekend:

 

 

Sorry the photos are completely out of order! Follow me on instagram here (username: samantha__louise)

Day to Night

Outfit Details:

Cropped Tan Top // Forever21

Brown Floral Maxi Skirt // Thrift Town

Brown Leather Belt // Vintage

Brown Woven Sling Backs // Etsy

Gingham Printed Purse // Urban Outfitters

Outfit Details:

Cropped Tan Top // Forever21

90's Printed Pinafore // Flashback in San Diego

Green Woven Shoes // Painted Bird

Day to Night. These were my outfits during the day when Z and I were running errands and then at night when we went to grab dinner and a couple of drinks. I kept the same crop top in both outfits since it's a nice neutral color that will go with anything. The weather in San Francisco can go from sunny and mildly warm to chill winds and foggy nights. I find that it is best to layer clothing when going from venue to venue, so that it's easy to adjust. I'm excited to visit my Mom and Sister this weekend because they are actually having weather that is characteristic of summer. Here's to not wearing tights and coats when going out this weekend! 

Night-timing

Outfit Details:

Plaid Song Bird Dress // Madewell

Maroon Wool Cardigan // Vintage

Dead-stock Golden Barrettes (flowers and scrolls) // Lawrence

Z isn't always here to help me photograph so I've decided to try the self-timer on my Minolta. It's a bit hard for me to get it to focus right since I can't see it, but I guess my awkward expressions can be blurred out for the better. My go-to dress thus far has been Madewell's Plaid Songbird Dress. It is just so comfortable, is a good length, and fits me perfectly. I found this maroon cardigan at Thrift town a couple of weeks ago. I really liked the suede arrow detailing along the front because it looks hand-stitched...pretty good for a cardigan that only cost me $1.50!  The dead-stock barrettes I am wearing are probably the only things keeping me from trimming my bangs again! It's getting easier to clip my bangs to the side now instead of them flinging out every which way they please. 

I'm going down to Southern California to visit my Mom and Sister tomorrow for the weekend. Z and I are going to drop off Finnegan since we'll be off to the east coast for a couple of weeks. I can't wait for some sun and warmer weather!

How Knee High?

Knee-high socks are a staple in my closet when it's just a tab bit too cold to go bare-legged. I often tend to attract a lot of stares from older men who think that I'm a little Asian school girl, but I just think that these socks are too good to pass up despite the unwanted cat-calls. When wearing these socks, I try to keep the rest of the outfit a bit more conservative to show off the knee socks. Knee socks also seem to elongate my leg with I pair them with the same colored shoes. This is definitely a plus when you're a petite gal! 

Outfit Details:

Blue Cardigan // Vintage

Grey T-shirt // From High school

Brown Belt // Vintage

Black Knee Socks // Forever21

Brown Woven Sling Back Shoes // Ebay

Black Leather Satchel // H&M

Here are another set of photos featuring knee socks taken awhile back. I took these photos using my Minolta film camera and was experimenting with different light sources and strengths to try and have a brownish tone on my photos. I'm still trying to perfect the focusing, but I will get there eventually!

Outfit Details:

Brown Patterned Baby Doll Dress // Vintage

Grey Cardigan // Urban Outfitters

Black Knee Socks // Forever21

Rings // Vintage & Forever21

Fireworks in the Sky

Sometimes I don't get around to developing my film until a couple of weeks later. These photos are from 4th of July when Z and I went out to get some tortas at El Metate.  It was actually a nice warm sunny day...until the summer winds started to creep in! I really loved the colors of these neighboring houses...to me these shades are the epitome of summer.  Mint and Blush pink anything = I WILL LOVE IT. I tried to dress a bit more festive and patriotic in honor of the night's fireworks with a white shift dress dotted with speckles of blue and red. Hopefully I did not end up looking like the American flag vomited all over me, but you get the point. 

Outfit Details:

White Shift Dress // Thrifted

Black Cardigan // Old piece from high school!

Navy Blue tassel loafers // Etsy

Brown leather Backpack // Forever21

Pink cat-eye sunglasses // H&M

I began the process of growing out my bangs and I am struggling everyday not to grab a hold of near-by scissors and snip away.  I guess I am going to have to get used to not hiding behind my bangs anymore. My mom should be really happy to hear about my hair-style change since she claims she has not seen my face since high school. Exaggerations!  But seriously...what if I get a huge pimple on my forehead and I can't hide behind it with my bangs? Sigh...such first world problems indeed.