Pastel Pairing and Arm Parties

I had wanted to wear pastels in an outfit, inspired by all the cute spring lookbooks I've been seeing! Pastels are so feminine and sweet. I put together this sweater, hand knit by my extraordinarily talented grandmother, and these mint pants. I've had this sweater for ages (literally: think elementary school) but it amazingly still fits me. It's super comfortable and every time I wear it, I think of my grandmother. To keep the outfit from being too colorful, I wore a white neutral shirt. I also played up on the arm party trend with a mix of handmade, gifted and store-bought bracelets! 

Outfit details: Top: Gap / Sweater: Handmade by my grandmother! / Pants: American Eagle / Necklace: Forever 21 / Shoes: Sperry 

The arm parties:

From bottom to top: Vivabeads bracelet, Handmade friendship bracelet (braided rainbow and navy nylon embroidery thread with a chain from a necklace), Citizen watch (gifted)

From bottom to top: Handmade friendship bracelet following this pattern (made it last summer!), Gold bracelet gifted from my mom, Jade bracelet (used to be my mom's)

I love making friendship bracelets and I'm looking forward to making more this summer!

My outfit reminds me of these cute and delicious looking macarons:

Image from Krista Palmu

Let's make today a great day! 

Peppermint Patties

When I saw this hat in my room, I thought it would be a fun addition to this outfit! In this outfit, I combined white, brown, and mint for a slightly bohemian yet coordinated look. When I wear this top, I like to tuck in the front because it looks less bohemian, and leave the back loose so it is more casual. I added the leopard-print shoes to mix up the colors and patterns, while staying with brown colors.

Outfit details: Top: LOFT / Pants: American Eagle / Bag: Dooney & Burke / Belt: Vintage / Necklace: DIY / Earrings: Urban Outfitters / Flats: Nine West 

This hat was a gift from my grandmother. It's going to be a lovely addition to Spring and Summer dresses and skirts! I always make sure to wear plenty of SPF when I go outside. A straw hat like this will be essential for shielding my skin from the sun's rays. I believe that skin protection starts from a young age, and that healthy skin is beautiful skin. I recently read this article about skin care at different ages here on Refinery 29, and I'll be sure to follow it as I get older! 

I always try to remember that happiness and health are the most beautiful accessories a woman can have :)

Candy Shop

When I put together this outfit, I thought about combining classics - the striped shirt - and Spring pastels - the mint jeans. I added the necklace, something I made in Chinese school in a macrame class, as a fun pop of fruity pink. The colors in this outfit remind me of cotton candy or a candy store! I spotted this denim jacket in my grandmother's room and I asked her where she had found it. This is one of her secondhand store finds! I really like how it balances out the outfit and tones down the colors. Its length helps coordinate the pieces together.

Outfit details: Jacket: Secondhand / Shirt: Gap / Jeans: American Eagle / Shoes: Sperry / Necklace: Handmade 

I just love Spring colors :) 

A quote for your day:

Found on Tumblr

I've been doing a lot of reading for pleasure lately, and this quote reminded me of the books - it's a great motivational quote. 

Have a beautiful Spring day! 

Color Theory

Sorry I haven't been posting lately! Most days, I don't get a chance to take photos of my outfits. I'm working on getting better at that!

When I put this outfit together, I thought about color values. Although the shirt, pants, and boots are different colors, they represent medium, light, and dark colors. I like outfits that have a bit of contrast. I find that if I wear an outfit that is all dark or all light (not including dresses - those can usually work in just one color) the outfit doesn't look as nice. Instead, mixing up colors or prints can make a big impact when done the right way.

Outfit Details: Shirt: American Eagle/ Pants: American Eagle/ Boots: Luxury Rebel / Scarf: Adrienne Landau / Earrings: American Museum of Native American History

Since I'm tall, I used the different values to break up my long body. The scarf, a gift from my grandmother, pulls it all together with the combination of purple to go with the chambray of my shirt, teal to go with the aqua of my pants, and black to go with the black of my boots. It's not too matchy-matchy, but it's got a rhyme and reason to it. This is one of many scarves - I have a pretty substantial collection, and I'm always looking for new ways to wear my scarves.

This was a photo of me with my sophomore year biology teacher - we were holding something up and I liked the light in this photo. We took it in the greenhouse, so we're surrounded by plants. 

Hair: Clipped back with hardshell clip, Earrings: Sterling silver leaf earrings

Eyeliner: Physician's Formula Eye BOOSTER in Ultra Black

I have a good deal of Native American-inspired jewelry, and a lot of the jewelry I wear is pieces I have made. I'll do a few features on my DIY jewelry!

This last one is just for fun. I'm looking quite pensive. I think it's cute how the wall was the same color as my pants, and that border by the floor is the same color as my boots. 

Hope you're having a great day and enjoyed learning more about my style philosophy (with a mini art lesson as well)!